


Collegial Seduction

by mycahthelittlehobbit, voxangelus



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/F, Genderswap, Genderswapped Mycroft, I wish I had half the game I gave Mycroft in this fic, Intrigue, Witty Banter, mycroft is so goddamn smooth here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-14
Updated: 2019-04-02
Packaged: 2019-10-10 01:03:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 33,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17415998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mycahthelittlehobbit/pseuds/mycahthelittlehobbit, https://archiveofourown.org/users/voxangelus/pseuds/voxangelus
Summary: Mycroft hated seeing an intelligent woman go to waste working for an absolute boor. She knew Miss Jones would be far better utilized in her department. It had nothing to do with the fact that she had a Type and Miss Jones was it. Or that she found her witty, charming, and intelligent.She was a professional, after all.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This began life as an RP. Thus, you will notice perpsective shifts. I've done my best while editing to smooth them out. 
> 
> If you're a Mythea fan... well... there's more where this came from and i'll be working on editing and posting. 
> 
> This will update once a week on Sundays. Thank you for reading!

Another day, another meeting with the exceedingly dull and boring minister for Transport. Dull, boring, completely unable to see reason, and sexist, to boot. He didn't dare treat Mycroft any differently than he would a male colleague, but he was a complete jackass to his PA. Mycroft hated dealing with him. He didn't deserve the PA he had, that much was certain.

She sat back against the seat of the car, wondering what would compel such a competent and bright young woman to stay in the service of such a boor, doing work that was clearly beneath her intelligence and ability. Perhaps a better offer hadn't yet been put across. Mycroft would love to have a PA like this Miss Jones. Her current staff was adequate, but she knew her PA was planning a move north in the near future and thus the opening would be available. 

Yes, that's what she would do. She would offer Miss Jones a job where her talents and skills would be better utilized and appreciated. Mycroft wanted more than a PA, she wanted a right-hand person who had great flexibility and adaptability. 

 

Anthea never intended to love her job. That was never the point of taking the position of Personal Assistant to the dull, misogynistic Minister for Transport. She had simply wanted a secure position that paid decently well and she did not need to take home (most days). It was a dull life, but it was a decent enough one.

Today was just another day, although it was perhaps slightly more exciting because the ever witty Mycroft Holmes breezed through her office and put Alan Morgan down a peg or two. What she wouldn't give to get to know a woman like that, although she was slowly going through the motions of courtship with a graduate student from UCL.

No, Anthea would likely only see the other woman on occasion when she came into the office, and that would be enough. She would be one of those fun daydreams to entertain on particularly slow days at work, fueled by the merry glances exchanged over Morgan's head when Mycroft landed a particularly cutting blow to his ego.

Mycroft managed to emerge victorious from her meeting; not that the outcome was ever in doubt, but she had managed to land quite a few verbal jabs, and that was always cause for a feeling of accomplishment. 

The few times she'd caught Miss Jones' eye during the verbal sparring, the other woman had smirked, and Mycroft couldn't help feel a little bit of solidarity with her. 

She stopped on her way out of the office and handed over her card. "If you ever tire of languishing here where you aren't appreciated, do call. Someone of your calibre would always be welcome in my office." 

"My calibre?" Anthea raised an eyebrow, "I don't think that I've done any work around you that would indicate any sort of calibre other than extremely good tea fetching skills," her tone with was light, joking almost. Holmes was far too perceptive, and she wasn't going to leave a comfortable job in hopes of a new one with the woman who was currently towering over her. 

"Ah, but I can practically see your brain at work; your tea fetching is, admittedly, exceptional - it shows attention to detail and an excellent memory," Mycroft parried, walking to the door. "Thank you. Have a pleasant afternoon, Miss Jones." 

"Thank you, Ms. Holmes," Anthea stood to see Mycroft out of the office, smoothing her features from one to amusement to kind regard, "I'll keep your card."

Mycroft made her way out, into the car that was unfailingly waiting for her right outside the entrance to the building. She would win Miss Jones over to her side in time, she was sure of it. 

Anthea tucked the card into her pocket, picking up a file and getting back to her daily routine. Mycroft was interesting, and Anthea might inquire more into the work she did before getting back to the other woman. Her first move would be to listen to Morgan complain, and then subtly check in with the other PA's about Holmes.

Very subtle of her, extremely slow, and completely dead weight of her. Anthea chuckled to herself, fetching another cup of tea for Morgan and going through the motions of the rest of her day. Anthea's graduate student, Alex, would probably come by later with dinner and they'd have an exciting night in with a film and take out.

Mycroft had to deal with Morgan a few more times over the next couple of weeks. She even had begun looking forward to the visits, because Miss Jones was there. She was still plotting to poach her from Morgan. Her most recent sally was a full outline of the job description, complete with a very generous salary offer. After all, her PAs did much more than filing. 

Anthea had kept her cool when presented with the figures and job description; it was enticingly important work, and a large salary offer. She waited until after Mycroft left before pouring over the description. This woman was playing very easy to like, and determined that she would have Anthea on her staff. It wasn't as though she'd miss working for Morgan, but seemingly she would have much less time for a social life with Alex should she take this job.

Did that matter so much? That was a bit of a dead end relationship that both were too comfortable to end yet. Maybe they would go to the wedding together and then Anthea would break it off.

A few hours after Mycroft left having given Anthea the full outline, she sent her a text saying she appreciated the job description but had a few questions she'd like to clear up.

 

She was happy Miss Jones was looking over the offer, at least. She ought to thank her for that. Flowers? That wasn't too much, was it? Perhaps a plant for her desk. That would be lovely. Normally she would designate this task to an underling, but it was a pleasant day, and she fancied a walk at the lunch hour. 

Mycroft stopped into a florist's and picked out a potted succulent, arranging to have it delivered to Miss Jones at Morgan's office. 

When Anthea came back from her lunch break, she stood quite confused with her hands on her hips looking at a potted plant taking up a corner of her usually pristine desk. The note said it was to Miss Jones from Ms Holmes, which in light of their current dance around employment could only mean that the other woman was pleased about the vague interest Anthea had shown so far.

"It came while you were away. Found some lout to look after you?" Morgan sniped as he walked by; Anthea paid him no mind and continued the rest of her day in a contemplative air. She didn't take it home with her, unsure if it was from wanting to keep this away from Alex or to bother Morgan with her social life outside work.

Anthea wrote Holmes a very concise email detailing out her questions the next day, not mentioning the plant until the last line with a word of thanks.

Mycroft wrote back the next day with the answers to her questions, assuring her at the end of the email that the plant was no trouble and she hoped that Anthea would enjoy it. She spent the weekend as she usually did - working. Not for the first time, she wondered why she even bothered keeping more than an efficiency flat; she was rarely there but to sleep and never had company. There was a fundraiser she'd purchased a ticket to on Saturday evening, and she went alone, as was her usual habit. 

Anthea's weekend was utterly wasted away. She had no work to do, Alex was busy with thesis research, and Anthea's sister was blissfully texting her about wedding plans.

Which meant that she had ample time to pore over Mycroft's job proposal and response to her inquiry, and finally making a list of pros and cons for taking a the offer for employment. By Saturday night Anthea had made several interesting life decisions, one of which was calling Mycroft in the morning and handing in her resignation the next Monday. She had it all written out and prepared on her computer as she went to bed, not expecting that Alex would stop by later that night and see what she had been working on.

Her Sunday did not go as planned, as they both dispassionately discussed through the afternoon what she had decided the previous evening. Alex continuously harkened back to the fact that she hadn't discussed this with anyone, including her family, and that she needed to wait a few weeks before diving into the idea of taking a new job.

Anthea went to work Monday morning and went through the motions as though nothing changed. Had anything changed? She had tried to be a strong proactive force like she felt Mycroft saw in her; instead she had let a few hours with Alex dissuade her from any change in circumstance.

Ridiculous. Anthea decided to call Mycroft on her lunch break to accept the job offer. Opportunities like this didn't happen everyday.

Monday saw Mycroft back in the office with plenty to do. She remained blissfully unaware as of yet of Anthea's deliberations or decision to leave her current position and take the one she had offered her. Her current PA had applied for a lateral move in a different city and she was happy to grant the request. There were still a few clerks in the outer office to handle mundane paperwork and appointments. 

Lunchtime rolled around and she ordered in, continuing to monitor a situation in Dubai.

Anthea found a quiet place outside her office building to make the call to Mycroft, having rushed from her desk to avoid Morgan having her retrieve his lunch.

Alex wasn't going to be happy with her for doing this, but dead weight was still heavy no matter how good looking it was.

She waited to see if the other woman would pick up the phone, deliberating leaving a message.

Mycroft's phone rang and she was surprised and pleased to see Miss Jones' name pop up. She muted the audio on the feed she was watching and answered. 

"Miss Jones. How lovely to hear from you this afternoon. What can I do for you?" 

She almost hadn't expected the phone to be picked up; especially not so swiftly by Mycroft herself.

"Good day Ms. Holmes, I was calling to see when you might need a new PA by?" she grinned into the phone, pacing down the pavement while speaking.

"It just so happens, Miss Jones, that my current PA is making a lateral move to another city, in a position requiring less security and secrecy. The position will be open a week from today," Mycroft replied, sitting back in her chair. Did this mean Anthea was going to accept the offer? 

"I have a friend who is unhappy in her position and would be a good fit for you based on the offer you sent me," Anthea jested, "Would you like me to pass her on?" She was absolutely having the other woman on, but it would be a determinedly different Anthea that took the job offer than the current one languishing in Morgan's outer office.

Ohhh, she had made the right choice offering this position to Anthea. Working with her was going to be delightfully fun. Mycroft never had fun; perhaps it was high time for that to change. 

Mycroft hummed, pausing to consider the offer. "Oh, I suppose you could do, if she's clever enough," she replied. 

"Being clever was always her strong suit. I'll have her get in contact," Anthea was grinning, happy in her decision. This would be good for her, she was certain of that. And dropping Alex would be the best decision she made after taking the job offer.

"Thank you for taking my call, Ms. Holmes; have a good day."

"Truly, the pleasure is all mine, Miss Jones," Mycroft replied. "I look forward to hearing from your 'friend'. If she's free for lunch sometime this week to discuss the position further, do let me know." 

"I will. Fairly certain she has Wednesday free for lunch," Anthea affirmed. She was overly enchanted by Mycroft, and needed to put on her bored PA face next time they met. Which would hopefully be Wednesday.

"Shall we say Claridge's at noon on Wednesday, then?" Mycroft suggested. It would be hell for most people to get a reservation at this late date, but it wouldn't take much more than the mention of her name to secure a table. 

"I'll pass the information along," Anthea sounded cool, but Claridge's was not the most casual of dining experiences, even for lunch. "Good day, Ms. Holmes," she said to end the call. There was still lunch to be had and Morgan to deal with all afternoon.

"Good day, Miss Jones," Mycroft replied, and rang off. She sent a text to Amelia, her current PA, to ask her to secure the reservation, and turned her attention back to the situation she had been monitoring. She was looking forward to Wednesday. 

Anthea's day passed much quicker than she expected, and she spent the evening finalizing her resignation letter, checking that her contract didn't state she need give a long notice period before leaving. She made sure to close her computer down before going to bed that night so no nosy partners could see what she was working on.

Tuesday was uneventful enough for Mycroft. She spent most of it in the car, attending meetings in various places around town - not including Morgan's office and thus no meeting the delightful Miss Jones, but there was afternoon tea with the Equerry and that was pleasant enough. She headed home at a remarkably normal hour and went straight to her closet to contemplate what to wear the next day. 

Everything about Tuesday was dull, and Anthea managed to dodge Alex that evening so she could prepare for her lunch with Mycroft.

She decided on a sleek blue dress, something slightly nicer than usual, and a pair of workable pumps that wouldn't kill her feet after a full day in the office. Hair down and no flashy jewelry. She was set to stun, and hopefully get a much better working position than she had now.

Mycroft considered something a little more stylish than the suits she tended to wear on a daily basis. Certainly they were bespoke, and impeccably tailored to her feminine frame, and thus quite good enough for Claridge's, but in the end, she went for a smart black wrap dress and stilettos that emphasized her height even more. One of her favourite hobbies was striking fear into the hearts of lesser mortals, and capitalizing on her stature was an easy way to do so. Somehow she thought Miss Jones wouldn't be at all affected - but the stuffy old boys club types that would be haunting their lunch venue would. 

Besides, she had to meet with the Prime Minister in the morning, and it was always enjoyable to watch him trip over his tongue when she swanned in looking like his traditional idea of a woman. 

Anthea quite firmly informed Morgan that she had a lunch appointment that day and would be back a little later than usual. He fussed but she pointed out that she hardly ever requested time and there were enough people to see to him that afternoon.

That of course didn't stop him from commenting on her rather striking image in a dress and heels.

She sighed at his antics and worked through the morning until she needed to leave for lunch.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A business lunch. it's possible Mycroft is laying it on a little thick, but Anthea doesn't seem to mind.

Mycroft left 10 Downing Street at 11:30 Wednesday morning feeling very smug indeed. Really, any occasion the PM and the idiots on his staff were reminded that she would have her way no matter how she was dressed was an excellent one. 

Now she was looking forward to her lunch meeting with Miss Jones. She hoped it would prove fruitful, and if not, she was almost entirely sure it would be entertaining. 

Anthea set off to arrive at Claridge's just on time, perhaps one minute late. She had certainly given herself a firm talking to on the way there. Calm, serene, and enigmatic was the key to this lunch meeting.

She stepped into the restaurant, looking around for the auburn-haired woman who she was meant to be meeting. It felt almost like a clandestine tryst; she hadn't told her current employer she was planning on accepting a new position, or tell Alex that she was moving on despite any word against her plans. Her family had no inclination, although they never really had an inclination about her life. 

Mycroft arrived in plenty of time and was seated at a corner banquette, despite her protests to the maitre'd that she was merely here on a business lunch and a table would be perfectly adequate. She directed the staff to keep an eye out for her guest but noticed Miss Jones the moment she walked in, regardless, looking quite lovely. Well, that certainly was an inappropriate thought for a potential colleague. 

She stood and waited for the maitre'd to show the other woman to the table. 

Anthea thanked the maitre'd as she was seen to Mycroft's table, "Hello Ms. Holmes," she said, holding her hand out to shake. The taller woman struck a striking image as she stood waiting by the table, and Anthea had to remind herself that this was a business lunch.

Mycroft shook Anthea's hand firmly, then gestured to the booth. "Please, won't you sit down?" She settled herself back in the spot she had been in. "How are you this afternoon?" 

"Planning on enjoying my time away from Morgan." Anthea took her seat and watched as the other woman took hers, "And how are you?"

Mycroft offered a small, but genuine smile. "I am well, thank you. I rarely have such a pleasant lunch companion regardless of the circumstances - the last five times I had lunch here, it was with senior ministers, all old as God and twice as deaf," she paused a moment as the server came up and outlined the specials and dropped off their menus. After he had gone, she set hers aside. "If you don't mind the recommendation, the tasting menu is my favorite option for lunch."

Anthea had shown mirth at Mycroft's response, unsure if that was slightly flirtatious or the other woman showing her comfort level to her, "I wouldn't mind your recommendation at all," she set her own menu aside, concentrating on the formidable woman in front of her who currently seemed very approachable.

The waiter came back and Mycroft informed him they'd be doing the tasting menu along with the wine option. 

"Did you have any other questions you would like answered about the position?" She asked Anthea. "It will be more demanding and different than what you're used to, but not without its advantages. You would keep my schedule and perform many of the duties of a PA, but the rest of it would make you more my colleague than a subordinate - and I'll treat you accordingly."

"That would be acceptable," Anthea wasn't too sure if she'd be able to keep up with Mycroft, but she would sure as hell try. It was too interesting and good of a position to turn down, "What of the nature of the work? All I know is what little interactions you have with Mr Morgan."

"It's much higher security than what you're used to. I can't give exact specifics, but I can tell you it will involve firearms and hand-to-hand combat training, frequent international travel, and data analysis," Mycroft replied. She couldn't give too much more away than that. "However, I wouldn't have approached you if I didn't think you could handle it, and handle it well. Essentially, you would be my right hand woman."

Anthea mulled it over as their server poured wine, "How extensive is the training period before I would begin, or is it on the job training?" She asked when he moved away.  
"It would be mostly on the job, but I'd have you head over to MI-6 for firearm and hand-to-hand training in the afternoons for the first few weeks, I imagine," Mycroft replied. "The rest are things you would already know how to do, or things I'm confident you will pick up very quickly." 

"I would be amenable to that," Anthea would definitely get more fit if she took this job. _When_ she took this job; she intended to have it, Alex be damned. "With the sensitivity of the work, how invasive will surveillance be on life when out of the office?"

"Surveillance will be for your own safety, for the most part. We would monitor your building, possibly the hallway outside of your flat, but not inside your flat itself. You'll have a VPN installed to securely access files at home, as well," Mycroft replied. "I hardly need say that with the nature of the information we deal with, signing an NDA is a non-negotiable part of the job offer."

"Of course," seemed like a reasonable request, "Concerning the NDA, do I tell people I work as a PA for you? The most Morgan has ever told me about you is that you hold a minor position in the British Government. Clearly that's not quite the whole story."

"Yes, that's what you can tell people. Technically, my office falls under the purview of Finance, but very little of what we do falls into that line of work," Mycroft explained, then smirked at Anthea over her wine glass. "No, ‘minor position’ isn't the case - but it usually gets people to stop asking questions, since they assume the answer will be boring." 

How was Anthea supposed to work with this woman if they had meals like this and the way Mycroft talked business over wine was sexy? Anthea was still technically dating someone but here she was planning on a new life with Mycroft, albeit a work one.

"I usually get the eyeroll and the conversation moves on," Anthea commisserated briefly.

"So many people underestimate the power of an excellent PA," Mycroft said with a graceful shrug of her shoulders. It's very clear that she isn't one of those people. "A PA is invisible to most blowhards who employ one - and thus they can go places unobtrusively the people they assist cannot."

"PAs know more about their employers than they know about themselves, usually," Anthea chuckled, thinking about the strange things she knew about Morgan that could perhaps be used against him. 

Their food arrived, and Anthea looked over the spread with a raised eyebrow. Mycroft sure knew how to pick a meal. A very refined meal that was probably out of Anthea's current budget.

Mycroft nodded in agreement. "Hence one should always attempt to stay on their PA's good side." 

She watched as the server brought out an array of dishes, looking them all over. "Oh, lovely. There's new dishes since the last time I was here," she hummed, "but this crispy pork belly with goat cheese stuffed figs is a long-time favourite." She nudged that plate toward Anthea.

Lunch was amazing, as Mycroft had come to expect, and she was pleased to observe that etiquette classes wouldn't be required for Miss Jones. 

Anthea agreed that Mycroft's choice was quite good, finding everything presented to her more than delicious. They had easy conversation while eating, "Do you have any questions for me while we're here?" She finally asked. Mycroft had seemed quite content to push the job offer on Anthea but hadn't done much interviewing herself other than observational.

"This isn't likely to be a Monday to Friday, 9-5 sort of position. Is that something you're prepared for? You may need to work on little sleep, or leave town at a moment's notice," Mycroft asked, hoping she hadn't just scared her off the job. "Of course, you'll be compensated accordingly, but it's difficult to have a social life."

"My social life is on lockdown for the time being," Anthea didn't allude to the fact that it was soon to be nonexistent due to her impending break up and then dedication to working for Mycroft, "I think it will be good working on a non-regular schedule with the added advantage of compelling work."

"The work is, indeed, compelling. This week has been almost dull - although I am leaving the country tomorrow morning for two days - but I've never seen the appeal of an active social life in any case." Damned good at using those social graces, though. 

"It can be appealing with the right people involved," Anthea deflected, not fully willing to say that having friends and a partner hadn't been nice at times, "I think that this could work out well, and I've no further questions about the position."

"I can see how it might be," Mycroft allowed, "the last time I tried having a social life was university." She shook her head, dismissing the idea. "Excellent. When do you think you would be able to start?"

"I need to give my notice to Morgan which he needn't have much forewarning of, and there a few prior engagements that occur during the weekends that might be a bit unavoidable," Anthea gave a half smile, "How does Monday sound?"

"Monday sounds excellent," Mycroft replied smoothly, as the waiter came to clear away their empty dishes. 

"Ms Holmes, the pastry chef hopes you don't mind, but she is preparing something special for your dessert selections," he said. 

Mycroft raised an eyebrow. That rarely happened. The last time had been when she'd brought her parents for tea well over a year ago. "I don't mind in the least. Please tell Chef Alana that I'm always happy to try her newest concoctions." 

The waiter left, and Mycroft looked back at Anthea with another of those graceful shrugs. "Well, dessert certainly won't be boring?" 

"No, I'm certain it will be as delicious as the rest of the meal has been," Anthea had really enjoyed their lunch meeting and wondered how frequent they would be when they started working together.

"I'm sure it will," Mycroft agreed, glancing at her watch. "I hope Morgan won't mind you getting back a little late. You can always blame it on slow transportation and his poor management of his frankly obscene budget," she said, a wicked grin teasing at the corners of her mouth. 

"I might do as a parting jab," she laughed, quite certain this sort of meeting would end up a regular occurrence. She and Mycroft were going to get along famously, as long as they didn't overstep any boundaries, "There is an ego there that should be deflated a bit."

"There's nothing wrong with an ego - so long as one has sufficient means to back it up," Mycroft said slyly, winking. The waiter brought over two plates then, each with small portions of four different desserts. 

"Ladies, the chef presents for your consideration, from left to right: miniature croquembouche with spun sugar; blueberry-peach clafoutis with double cream; chocolate-orange ricotta cheesecake with a Grand Marnier reduction; and coffee gelato. Enjoy." 

"I am sure we will, thank you," Anthea thanked their server kindly as the two women slowly began to dig in, "Is this how you're usually treated when you go places? I should think a large ego would go with the territory then," she grinned wickedly as she teased her future employer. Wasn't her boss quite yet.

"This is actually rather unusual for this particular restaurant," Mycroft replied, slightly puzzled at the overly fancy selection of desserts. "I brought my parents here for lunch over a year ago and that was the last time this happened."

"You clearly left a strong impression on the staff," Anthea pointed out, puzzled by the behavior. Perhaps it was something to do with them misconstruing the nature of their lunch meeting. She certainly might, seeing two well dressed woman having an easy going chat over luncheon.

"I may have dated the pastry chef when we were both at university," Mycroft admitted, "but it didn't work out, not between our schedules - and she's a bit, well, undisciplined. Flying by the seat of her pants, as it were. Likewise, she thought I needed to loosen up. Still, she's brilliant in the kitchen and it was a friendly parting. Possibly she thought this wasn't a business lunch." 

"It could be possible she would think that," Anthea nodded, desperately encouraging her cheeks not to redden, "She is very good at being a pastry chef, I must say. I would fear for my mobility with such an accomplished person in the kitchen," very smooth, make light of the situation.

Mycroft was hoping at that point that Alana didn't come out and introduce herself. There was a certain physical resemblance between the pastry chef and her new PA, and that would be hopelessly awkward. "She is talented, yes - chose her career well." 

Very well, Anthea decided as she polished off the fourth of the deserts. She had to school her features so she didn't make any sort of obscene noise of pleasure from the gelato, "It seems that both of you did."

"I like to think so," Mycroft agreed, setting her spoon down as the waiter came with the bill. She quickly settled it, then finished up the last few bites of her gelato. "May I offer you a ride back to your office?" 

"You may, and I will even accept it," Anthea was quite taken by how well Mycroft was treating her, and wondered how far that was going to extend into their working relationship.

"Lovely," Mycroft said, wiping her fingers with her napkin one last time and rising from the table. "If you're ready?" 

"Always," Anthea pulled her coat on and followed Mycroft out of the restaurant, "This was a successful lunch meeting. Shall I be expecting paperwork to sign and training schedules to arrive this week, or will that be dealt with come Monday?"

"We'll deal with all of that on Monday," Mycroft decided, as they waited for the car to come around the block. "And I would regret to inform you that I have a meeting with Morgan on Tuesday, but for the fact that I'm sure you already know that, as you keep his schedule," she said dryly. 

Anthea chuckled, "It'll simply chafe him a little to see me, I don't think he'll do much more than grumble," she reasoned. The car arrived soon enough, the chauffeur coming around to open the door for them. It was an extremely nice and lavish car when they climbed in.

Mycroft sat back against the seat, at home in the sleek, black car. "Oh, I'm hardly concerned. I have a vast arsenal to deploy against him should it become necessary," she said flippantly, before leaning forward to let the driver know to take them to Morgan's office first. 

"I'm sure I could contribute some, but something tells me you might have a few more resources than I do," Anthea had had a marvelous time at lunch, and was almost glad to be going back to the office to hand in her resignation letter that was folded neatly in an envelope ready to be handed to Morgan.

"Personal experience is often more useful than the best of secondary resources," Mycroft said, amusement suffusing her tone. 

"But can still hold their own," She smiled at the other woman, catching herself as she recognized the city streets close to her office building, "Seems this is my stop. Thank you again, Ms Holmes. I will see you Monday."

"Until Monday, Miss Jones," Mycroft said, as the car came to a stop. She offered her hand to shake, before the other woman got out of the car.

Anthea shook the offered hand firmly before sliding out the open door. Her afternoon was a whirlwind once she handed in her letter of resignation, Morgan swiftly realizing that he had two days to find a new assistant and the frustration that he was losing his perfectly good one to Holmes. He didn't dare say anything to Anthea as a bad word against her future employer, but his fury was barely contained.

Mycroft got a rather terse email from Morgan that fell just short of accusing her of a myriad of things, from embezzlement (she noted that she should look into Morgan's financials) to luring his PA away with the promise of all sorts of salacious things. God, the man was an arsehole. And she should take the higher road. Still, she couldn't resist sending him a lovely floral arrangement with a thank you card. For Anthea, she called over to Claridge's for a favor. It hadn't gone amiss to Mycroft how much she'd enjoyed the gelato at lunch; she arranged for a container to be delivered to her just before five, packed in dry ice. 

When the flowers arrived in office from Mycroft, Anthea couldn't help but to laugh at who they went to, although a bit miffed that she hadn't got anything. It was quite a pleasant surprise when a boxed packed with dry ice and gelato was delivered to her just as she was getting ready to leave. Mycroft was being utterly charming even though Anthea had already accepted the job offer. She grinned at Morgan cheekily as she swept out of the office with her prize.

Mycroft waited until a little after five to send Anthea a text: 

Rather thought the gelato would be better than flowers today. Looking forward to Monday -MH

Mycroft still had hours of work to go, but she hoped Anthea would enjoy her last few days of free time with her gelato. 

I was delighted, and Morgan looked less than pleased. - A

Anthea went home, settling her things down and began to reorganize her home life. She was very soon going to have very little time to spend here, and the less clutter the better off she would be. Alex would be the next thing to go, but that would have to wait until after the wedding.

Mycroft headed out of town early Thursday morning for a summit in Paris, planning to spend through Sunday afternoon there and allowing herself a short holiday before breaking in a new colleague.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anthea's first week in Mycroft's employ begins with an interrogation.

Sunday afternoon she realized she wasn't quite sure where she was to go in the morning, so she sent a text to Mycroft.

I realized I don't know where I'm to go in the morning. - A

Mycroft had spent a relaxing weekend only doing a bit of work, and all of it at a cafe near her hotel. She was on the Eurostar headed back when Anthea's text came, and fired off a quick response. 

Be in front of your building at 7:30, and the car will be there to pick you up -M

Seven thirty it is. - A 

Anthea let out a loud breath. That was one less thing she needn't worry about in the morning.

It was lucky Mycroft had had a relaxing weekend, because she got an urgent call from MI-5 at 3AM and was in the office by 4, gulping espresso and chasing a particularly nasty security leak. 

Anthea was up at six to get ready and be fully awake with the world for her car to arrive at seven thirty. She felt slightly anxious that she was plunging head first into such an engrossing job. It was terrifying and exciting all at once. Her favorite part, perhaps, was she could go suddenly missing and none of her friends and family would really know where she had gone.

By the time Anthea arrived just before eight, Mycroft was on her third triple espresso and idly nibbling on a mediocre breakfast sandwich from the cafe across the road. She had, however, isolated the leak and dispatched a team to deal with it. Unfortunately, she had paid no attention to the time and had wanted to get Anthea's security clearances and passwords set up _before_ she arrived. 

She beckoned her into the inner office with an apologetic smile. "Miss Jones. My apologies that everything isn't ready to go for you - I've been in since four dealing with an issue. Your general logins are still the same, of course. Give me ten minutes. The NDA and contract for this position are on your desk, go ahead and give them a read while I finish with the rest of your credentials."

Anthea skimmed through the paperwork, making a note to read through it all in detail later but happy with it as it stood. For now, she was ready to get on with the job and setting up her work diary. She logged into the computer and began looking through files and finding essential programs that would be helpful.

It didn't take long for Mycroft to finish setting up the clearances, giving Anthea adequate access to get the job done; she would expand the access at a later date, after Anthea got settled in. That done, she went out to the other woman's desk, papers in hand. 

"Thank you for your patience. You'll get a permanent ID in a couple of days, once it's made, but these will suffice for now," she said. "And you can have the codes as soon as you sign that paperwork in front of you."

"Signed," Anthea stood when Mycroft came out, offering the signed NDA and contract to the other woman, "I've officially sold you my soul for the foreseeable future," she teased.

"Don't tease," Mycroft drawled, mirth in her eyes. She handed the papers she had in her hand to Anthea. "Now, I'm afraid I'm going to throw you into the deep end. Come into my office and I'll tell you why I'm on my third espresso." 

Anthea mirrored her mirth, following her into the inner office to begin the first task of many to come. It wasn't too surprising that her first day was beginning by plunging into the deep end without a flotation device.

Mycroft retrieved her laptop and perched on the corner of her desk. "I got a call very early this morning from MI-5. They've had a security leak. I have, thankfully, isolated the person responsible - at least, their login, but haven't shut them down yet. There's a team in place to apprehend them as soon as they come in to work. Long story short, would you like to begin your day with observing an interrogation?"

"Absolutely." Anthea sat in one of the chairs opposite Mycroft's desk to get comfortable for their quick debrief. The other woman was all legs; how had Anthea not seen that before? And she was being utterly charming about her first day in and about how much experience she was getting right away.

"I had hoped you would say that," Mycroft quipped, and handed Anthea the dossier that had been spread open on her desk. "They were working from inside MI-5 and I have no idea what their motives were. I hate not knowing. It could be foreign espionage, domestic terrorism, or a bored IT helpdesk agent mucking about with things they ought not to be. It's likely to be the second, that seems to be the theme of the last few months," she explained. 

"I'm going to let their agents take the lead, but I'll step in if needed. Mostly you'll get to watch an agent at work, and that's more entertainment than you'd have got in a month in Morgan's office." 

Anthea took the dossier and began flipping through, familiarizing herself with the subject. She listened to Mycroft while doing so, looking up at her when she stopped talking, "We are waiting for the leak to be apprehended, then heading to their offices?"

"No, they'll be bringing him here," Mycroft replied. "the sub-basements are rather interesting." If by interesting, one means full of small rooms containing questionable equipment not _strictly_ prohibited by the Geneva Convention. 

She stood, straightening her jacket. "Come along, I'll give you the tour before we head down there."

"I'll follow where you lead, Ms. Holmes," Anthea stood as well, giving her a nod to begin the guided tour. She wasn't sure if she was ready to plunge into the depths of the shadows that Mycroft walked in, but she couldn't deny that she was interested in following her wherever she went.

That was a good sign, Mycroft mused, as she led Anthea through the office on the way to the elevators, pointing out relevant areas and introducing her to the clerical staff who handled less sensitive material. She had to swipe her card to get access to the specific elevator they needed, and they emerged in a large command centre type area. "Not as nice as what they have over at Q branch, but it suffices," Mycroft said, leading Anthea past the tech area and down a corridor filled with cells and interrogation rooms. 

Anthea told herself not to be a deer in headlights when they went down the elevator. She needed to be as unfazed as possible by all this to strike herself as the sort of person who would be Ms. Holmes PA.

"Seeing as I have no basis of reference, I think it looks like it gets the job done well enough," Anthea responded as she took in the different staff she met and the surroundings.

"It's not bad," Mycroft agreed. "This is where we'll be if supervision of any of our agents' missions is required. We currently have active teams quartered in the US, Brazil, Japan, and Bulgaria." 

She unlocked a door leading to a smaller corridor and then took them down to another door which opened onto an observation area that overlooked one of the interrogation rooms with a two-way mirror. There was a small table and a few chairs; utilitarian, but comfortable enough looking. 

"Ah, almost forgot," she murmured, reaching into an interior pocket of her jacket. "Your phone. Quite secure to enable you to work from anywhere and plenty of storage. You'll find it has service anywhere." She held the high-tech device out for Anthea to take. 

A work phone... That would be convenient. She took the phone with thanks, careful not to touch the other woman's hand as she did.

"I will get debriefing reports to catch me up on the teams' activities?" Anthea unlocked the phone and started swiping through what was already on the phone to get an idea of how much work she would be able to do on it. "This is a very well equipped phone," Anthea smiled quickly at Mycroft before tucking the phone in with the rest of the files in her hand.

"Access to the files has already been granted to you," Mycroft said, glancing down at her own phone as it buzzed. "Ah, excellent. They're here." 

"We're only watching?" Anthea confirmed as she switched her attention to the room that was about to be filled with an interrogation. This was slowly becoming very real that she had began a nose dive straight into a world she knew very little about.

"Unless things go very, very badly," Mycroft muttered, leaning against the wall and crossing her arms over her chest. The pale-skinned, ginger young man being brought into the room beyond looked defiant, but not hostile. The agents were able to shake a confession out of him pretty easily by playing good cop/bad cop, and it was as Mycroft suspected: A little racist domestic terrorism, Britain First nonsense.

Anthea watched with interest, listening to everything that was said. She appreciated being able to watch their style of questioning, and that Mycroft was giving her that time before they acted on any of the information that came out of the overly nationalistic young man.

was pleased at the conscientious way Anthea paid attention to the questioning, glad that things had gone easily. Often, things did not. "Not very clever, was he?" Mycroft said, glancing over at Anthea. "He'll spend years in prison because of this. But that's all for us, we can go back upstairs."

"All before noon," Anthea commented as she followed Mycroft back upstairs to continue her first day of work. That wasn't too bad, Anthea had almost expected them to pull out the thumb screws on the poor whelp. He hadn't struggled too hard. Maybe they would have if he'd resisted.

Anthea decided she needn't worry about that today, today she needed to worry about getting used to the office.

"All in a morning's work," Mycroft replied, as they rode the lift back up to the office. Once they were back, she walked toward her office, gesturing for Anthea to follow her. 

"Morgan sent me an absolutely disgusting email, which is what prompted the flowers," Mycroft said, sitting down behind the desk. "But in it, he accused me of embezzlement. Completely unfounded, I keep very meticulous financial records. I suspect - and have done for a while - that the gentleman doth protest overmuch. If there's anything odd you might have noticed, that would be helpful to know - and this afternoon, I'd like you to dig into his department's financials." 

"If you'd like evidence of his embezzling the British government I'm sure I can help," Anthea replied with a sigh, "At least I'd know where to look. He wasn't a very smart man, but he did like to cover his trail. Would you like anything else this afternoon? Tea?"

Mycroft wondered at the sigh. She supposed it was quite a boring task after the morning, but it wasn't always that exciting in the office. "Tea at three would be lovely. I've just heard from my Army colleague, and you'll be going to their facility on Tuesday and Thursday for the next few weeks for firearms and defence training. They suggested to wear something you can move in. I'm suggesting you don't. If you'd have to use the skills they'll be teaching, you'll be in what you regularly wear to work." 

She was excited by all the untapped potential she saw in Anthea; once she got her feet under her, Mycroft was certain she would flourish. 

"I'll keep that in mind," Anthea agreed for the note about what to wear for training. She was sure to have older skirts and pant suits she could work out in for practice and bring something nicer to wear later on.

"I'll have tea on at three. Should give me plenty of time to find what I need to on Morgan." she grinned at Mycroft, ready to begin working in earnest. Anthea wanted to shine for this woman, and help Mycroft do their work as best they could.

'That damnable grin', Mycroft thought to herself as Anthea bustled off to start digging for dirt on Morgan. It occurred to her that she knew nothing about Anthea's personal life, nor her preferences for that matter, and thus she would just need to ignore the spark and smoulder the other woman's grin kept igniting in her gut. 

She managed to concentrate on her work the rest of the afternoon despite the very lovely distraction in the outer office - and although Miss Jones was indisputably beautiful, it was that twinkle in her eye and her observant, intelligent mind that drew Mycroft in. Technically, it would be inappropriate to pursue anything with a PA (not that it wasn't done all the time by smarmy men) - but once Anthea was fully trained and integrated into the position, they would be on more equitable ground. 

She was getting ahead of herself, though. Miss Jones was likely just a very friendly person. 

 

Anthea delivered the file on Morgan with tea at three pm sharp, having also sorted out her work diary and how her soon to be non-existent social life would fit in between working hours. She wasn't making any plans past her sister's wedding, which she needed to go have her dress tailored for that soon. It was only a few weeks away and heaven forbid anything go wrong on her sister's special day.

"Here is what I could dig up on Morgan based on what I knew of his activities, and some additional information that should be helpful. There's a full financial report that the Minister of Finance might find helpful in ousting him from his seat should she get her hands on it. If I recall, she didn't much like him either," Anthea supplied helpfully.

Mycroft idly flipped through the information Anthea had gathered, taking a sip of her tea and finding it perfect. "Excellent work," she said, glancing up briefly, lips quirked in a small smile. "Have a copy of the financial report couriered to the Minister of Finance's offices with a note saying it's from us." 

She picked up a small envelope from her desk. "The card for your clothing allowance, as promised in your original offer," she said, handing it over. "Enjoy. I can suggest some shops to begin with, especially for pieces that look like formal office attire but are quite suitable if one needs to move around."

"I would welcome suggestions," Anthea took a note to have the report carried over. She would have to figure out where their courier service was to have that done but it shouldn't be too difficult.

Part of her, a very internal part of her, was relieved that she and Mycroft seemed to be getting along famously for the first day. Anthea hoped this lasted, and it wasn't a fluke. Of course she'd heard Morgan complain about her coolness, but he deserved the briskness that Ms. Holmes rolled out on him.

"While I would encourage you to treat yourself to bespoke garments at some point, a number of these shops will have ready-to-wear that will be more than adequate with minor tailoring." She reached for a pen and paper and scrawled down the names of a few shops. "Tell them I sent you, and they'll know what you're looking for," she said, handing the paper over. "I'm sure I don't need to impress upon you the importance of quality foundation garments?" 

Anthea had leaned on the desk to watch as Mycroft wrote down the shop recommendations, this finding herself precariously close to the other woman when she mentioned the importance of buying good underwear. Oh lord, she was going to be the death of Anthea.

"Of course not, I'll see to it that it is added to the shopping list," roll with the punches, don't let Mycroft faze you. That had been her mantra more than once today.

By the end of the week, Mycroft was fairly impressed with how Anthea had just stepped right in and acclimated herself to the rigours of life in her department. 

Friday afternoon brought an incident that they'd need to deal with in the coming week - in Tokyo. She asked Anthea to make the arrangements for their flight and accommodations, leaving early Saturday morning and hopefully to return by Monday or Tuesday. 

She gathered her things at five to go home and pack, stopping at Anthea's desk on the way out. "I realize I've dropped you into it this week, and you've done admirably," she said. "I'll see you bright and early tomorrow morning for our flight." 

"I'll have the car around to pick you up at five in the morning. Get some rest, ma'am," Anthea grinned up at her, "I've got a dress fitting to rearrange now, but I'll fit it in next week. It's been a good tutorial into office life around here, although I expect this was a light week," she divulged. It was difficult to stay professional around Mycroft all the time, especially on a Friday when they'd gotten along so well all week. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ms. Holmes." she had a few more things to wrap up before she went home and packed for the weekend.

And now she had an exciting trip to Tokyo to look forward to- she halted in her thinking, unsure how she was going to explain her absence to Alex. Or her sister. Neither of them knew about her new job. Her sister would be easy, Alex was a different basket of troubles.

Dress fitting? Mycroft did a double take, sneaking a look at Anthea's hands. No ring, so clearly not a wedding gown fitting, but still for someone close to her as she must be in a bridal party. Sister? Cousin? Best friend? It didn't really matter all that much. 

"I'm terribly sorry you'll have to postpone your fitting. Why not reschedule it for Thursday lunch? I daresay I can cope for an hour without you, even if things get crazy," she suggested. "And yes, it was a light week, I'm afraid. But I shall see you bright and early tomorrow morning and there will be plenty of time to nap on the plane to make up for the early departure time." 

Anthea hadn't missed Mycroft's quick glance down at her hand, part of her a little pleased that she'd gained so much interest in the taller woman's eye, "Thank you, I'll let you know if I take you up on the lunch offer. I'm hoping to strong arm my tailor into an evening fitting. I give her enough custom."

Anthea bade Mycroft goodnight and began to tidy her own workspace up to prepare for how carefully she needed to play her evening at home when Alex most likely showed up. Her partner was more trouble than they were worth, and Anthea was considering ending it sooner rather than waiting for the wedding.

It would be neater if she waited. Might as well.

By the time Anthea arrived home, Alex had in fact arrived and had brought take away.

"I thought we could have a night in," bright, hopeful eyes watched her, "You've been pretty busy this week and I realize we had a bit of a falling out a few weeks ago. Plus, I have really awful action films we can stay up late watching."

What could she do but to agree? "I have to be up early tomorrow," Anthea warned, thinking quickly to explain her absence, "Morgan decided last minute that he did want me to come along to a conference in France to translate for him. I'll be away until Monday," she looked sorrowful, but inside felt a bit remorseful she had to lie to her partner.

Alex was quick to commiserate, but pointed out that France would be interesting, and it was only this once. The subject was dropped after that, Anthea's partner far more invested in having a fun evening before she left for her trip rather than thinking about her need to unwind before she left.

Alas, _c’est la vie_.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which Mycroft is tipsy on two seperate occasions and there is a work trip to Tokyo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DREADFULLY SORRY about the late update, this weekend got away from me. Bonus, this is a slightly longer chapter because of how the scenes fell.

She wanted to go home and have a good night's sleep, but of course, when she arrived, Sherlock was there, sprawled across her sofa like she owned the place. "Did John kick you out of the flat again?" Mycroft asked dryly, as she took off her coat and hung it in the closet.

"There may have been an incident with a chemical spill and dangerous fumes," Sherlock replied, with an idle wave of her hand. 

The man in question came into the sitting room, kettle in hand. "There _was_ an incident. I got Mrs Hudson to stay with Mrs Turner for the night after the fire department ordered us out. I suggested a hotel, but Sherlock insisted we come here. Sorry, Mycroft. Tea?" 

"If you're making some, yes, thank you. I have to leave at 5am and will be going to bed early, so I'll ask you to keep it down after 9. Sherlock, seeing as you offered my hospitality on a whim, you may be in charge of dinner. I'm going up to pack." 

Sherlock did indeed take charge of dinner by ordering Chinese, and Mycroft forgave her invasion by virtue of Dr Watson having provided some very good craft beer. It was a surprisingly pleasant evening, even if she did get to bed later (and tipsier) than she had planned. 

3:30 came early, and Mycroft grimaced as she downed paracetamol and a bottle of sparkling water, glad she'd finished her packing the night before. 

Anthea eased out of bed, leaving her sleeping lover behind. She made herself presentable, grabbed the bag she'd somehow found time to pack, and tiptoed out her own front door. The driver had instructions to pick her up before Mycroft.

She was thanking her lucky stars she'd avoided drinking any alcohol the previous night; it would have been usual when working for Morgan, but with Mycroft she wanted to be better. Anthea wanted to succeed and create a real career out of this job.

She picked up a few pieces of fruit, pastry, and a couple of cups of coffee before they arrived to Mycroft's home. They had an early start, and Anthea was sure she'd take a few naps on the airplane - but until they were underway she needed to have her wits about her.

Mycroft should have gone downstairs to the fitness room for a run, but she opted instead for a quick half-hour of pilates. Her bags were already downstairs by the front door, and after she showered, dressed in a two-piece dove-grey suit with a royal blue satin blouse beneath, and took care of her hair and the minimal makeup she bothered with (good God, her face was puffy this morning), she went back down to the kitchen to make some espresso. She was tempted to just knock it back, but knew she needed protein, so she poured it into the blender with some almond milk and protein powder. There. Protein coffee. Her trainer would be so proud. 

She was eminently grateful that this particular cut of trousers looked best with flats, because attempting to balance her mildly hungover arse on heels was asking far too much. At least it'd still be dark when the car arrived, which it ought to do momentarily. She poured the rest of her coffee into a travel mug and went to wait by the front door, opening it as the car drove up so the doorbell wouldn't wake her houseguests. 

The driver took her bags but for her laptop bag-slash-briefcase, and Mycroft got herself into the car, greeting Anthea quietly with something that may have been "good morning."

Anthea noted the travel mug already in hand and instead made sure to silently offer the fruit or pastry that lay between them. She had picked up an almond filled croissant and a citrus flavored roll for Mycroft to choose from, more than happy to have either of those options.

Mycroft accepted the citrus pastry with a grateful looking half-smile, comfortable enough in the quiet of the car for the ride to the airfield. 

This had been one of the first times Anthea had been comfortable enough to bring pieces of her new wardrobe with, her new very pretty and functional underclothes securely on with a skirt and blouse that would be easy to travel in. Anthea had been practicing her comfort level in motion with her heels, and decided that this would be a good trip to continue that practice whilst abroad. 

They made it to the airfield in relative silence, the lack of daylight discouraging too much chatter. They would have several hours to prepare for the weekend ahead while in the air.

The cabin crew had the lights dimmed and Mycroft was happy to see it as they climbed aboard the plush private jet. She sank into her customary seat and stowed her case beneath. "Sit wherever you like for takeoff," she said to Anthea, as she fastened her seatbelt. "I'm going to be absolutely wretched company until we're somewhere over Romania, and I apologize profusely. My sister and her flatmate had an emergency evacuation last night and stayed with me, and I was up far too late and drank far too much really excellent bitter without intending to. I assure you that this is not a habit nor even an infrequent occurrence."

Anthea had a clearly surprised look on her face, the early morning accounting for her inability to tuck her facial expression behind a mask, "Is everyone okay? Why were they evacuated from their flat?" She frowned at Mycroft's casual air about the situation, confused and her tired mind not able to make sense of the situation yet. She took a seat nearby Mycroft where they could easily see each other, but there was still plenty of space between them to not feel self-conscious if either of them chose to sleep during the first half of the flight.

Mycroft gave a long-suffering sigh as she looked over at Anthea. "I suppose you may as well know, since it's quite likely you'll have to deal with her at some point. My sister is a graduate chemist and consulting detective. She spilled some chemical yesterday afternoon that required the flat to be evacuated for 24 hours - fumes, or some such. They're fine, as is their landlady. Her flatmate is a doctor so I trust his judgment. He attempted to convince her to go to a hotel, she insisted that I'd be happy to put them up - and thus I am not as well rested as I'd have liked." 

"That is a relief," Anthea shook her head, wondering just how being a consulting detective worked (like a Private eye?) and how would they be interacting? "We'll be taking off soon; do you need anything beforehand or are we taking time to catch up on sleep until Romania?" She tried to be slightly humorous to ease the tension of the early morning and lack of sleep.

"These seats recline with footstools and they are exceedingly comfortable. I am planning to catch up on my sleep - if you are tired, do join me," she suggested, hiding a yawn behind her hand as the pilot announced their imminent takeoff. Then she realized how that must have sounded and was utterly disgusted with herself for being so off-guard. "I'm so sorry. I mean, you may feel free to nap, if you would like," she assured Anthea, praying that she wasn't blushing. 

Anthea hadn't been fazed by Myrcoft’s slip of the tongue until she had stammered about it. "I caught your meaning, Ma'am. I'll see you when you wake up or we reach somewhere towards eastern Europe," she had to suppress her smile at her employer. Figuring out how to pull out the footstool was a good enough excuse for that, right?

Once they were in the air, Mycroft took the blanket from the back of her seat and put the footstool up, grateful to at least have the excuse to close her eyes and concentrate on not tripping over her tongue for the rest of the flight. She had never been this uncomposed in recent memory. It was utterly ridiculous. She had to do a better job at living up to being the Ice Bitch, not fall over her own feet at a grin from an attractive woman. 

Anthea took a few hours to nap, but was up and had a cup of coffee in her hand soon enough, reviewing the files on the situation that was taking them to Tokyo.

She wanted to be ready for as much as she could be by the time they arrived, whilst also keeping up with other projects internationally.  
Mycroft was never going to forgive John for bringing that bitter over, nor herself for drinking so much of it. Even after an extra five hours of sleep, she was still feeling muzzy. 

She saw Anthea was already awake and working. Point to Miss Jones. They still had six hours on the flight, plenty of time to catch up. They'd arrive just after two AM Sunday Tokyo time, letting them get some sleep and hopefully not be too jet-lagged before meeting with their team in the morning. After a trip to the lavatory, she settled back into her seat with her laptop and the file on the issue their team was coping with. 

While Mycroft had been up, Anthea had one of the cabin crew bring a cup of coffee over for the other woman, and found that a more formal breakfast was going to be served in about an hour if they'd wish.

Anthea thanked the crewperson and relayed the information to Mycroft when she settled down once again. There was not much to report, so she kept quiet for the time being.  
Mycroft murmured a quiet thank you to Anthea when she found the coffee, taking another couple of headache pills with it. After a moment, she moved over to the seat next to Anthea to show her a couple of things on her laptop screen to acclimatize her with the various protocols used in this kind of a situation.

Anthea leaned in, intent on the screen and listening to Mycroft explain what to expect on the upcoming mission. When they were working intently like this, it was easy to push any distracting thoughts about her employer away and instead focus on the protocols that she was explaining.

That managed to take up the hour until brunch was served, and Mycroft caught up with current world news over her eggs Benedict, idly discussing the headlines with Anthea. Her burgeoning attraction aside, Anthea was clever and witty, so quick to pick everything up, and Mycroft enjoyed not having to simplify anything she said to be understood. 

She took a sat-com call from the team lead in Tokyo with an update on the situation a little while after they ate, glad for a little more distraction. 

Anthea listened and absorbed everything that Mycroft said, trying to converse about the headlines that she'd read hours earlier in a way that showed she knew what she was talking about.

She wanted to be smart for this woman, and on top of all there was to know. Anthea knew that she would eventually come up lacking in Mycroft's eyes, but she hoped that day did not come anytime soon.

Just after Mycroft's sat-com call, Anthea had several pieces of information to report on their other teams. No sense in falling behind on other operations because they were concentrated on one specifically at the moment.

Mycroft was pleased with Anthea's initiative and told her so as they went over the information from the other teams. On the whole, she preferred to praise successes instead of punishing mistakes. With the sort of effort Anthea was putting in, she knew mistakes would be few and far between, although inevitable; but she was just learning the ropes of this particular career and under that consideration, she was doing an absolutely stellar job. She would continue to resist her attraction, however. She would resist it forever if need be, but she didn't anticipate it sticking around much longer. The novelty would wear off soon, she was sure. The only problem with that is that she wasn't sure she wanted the novelty to wear off. 

All reporting they had to do was over, and Anthea settled in to catch up on some personal reading before diving back into keeping up with work. She was a bit distracted by watching Mycroft, never having been in such close proximity for so long. The taller woman was fascinating to watch, and a bit more humanized as she curled up in a chair reading some report or another. Part of Anthea’s personal reading was a few emails, one in particular that she needed to address was her sister's email of concern at Anthea's delay of altering her maid of honor dress. She responded as vaguely as possible, answering enough to belay any further questions but not revealing anything that she wasn't yet ready to.

For someone whose life was relatively droll up to this point, Anthea was a very secretive person. That would lend itself to this work if she fostered it in the right way, she supposed.

 

After a while, Mycroft stood and stretched a little. She hated these long flights cooped up in a tiny plane no matter how many times she'd taken them. Granted, the private plane was much better than being on a commercial jetliner, jammed in like cattle. 

She felt better after stretching when she curled back up in her seat, and the rest of the flight went smoothly. She was ready for something substantial in her stomach and a few hours rest in a comfortable bed. 

The car was waiting for them when they finally landed, driving them straight to their accommodations. Anthea had taken a large cup of coffee to wake her up before they started their descent; she was trying to take her role as security seriously as much as she could.

"Would you like a meal now, or after a few hours of rest?" she asked Mycroft as they pulled up to the hotel. It was nearly three by the time they arrived, and sleeping now so they woke up to breakfast might be the easiest thing to reset their body clocks, at least it would be for Anthea.

"I'll order something up from room service, you go ahead and head to bed if you'd like," Mycroft replied, stifling a yawn as the driver came around to open the door for them. 

Check-in was relatively painless, and although the staff in the high-end hotel spoke flawless English, Mycroft couldn't resist showing off her lingual flexibility by utilizing her talents in speaking Japanese. 

"Our first meeting isn't until ten and the team lead is coming here to my suite, yes? Why don't you come over at 9:30 for some breakfast?" she suggested, as they boarded the lift to ride up to their floor. 

"I'll see you at then," Anthea confirmed as they got to their floor. She would be lying if she said she wasn't impressed with Mycroft's use of Japanese. Was there anything that woman couldn't do?

Their bags had been brought up for them, and after saying goodnight to Mycroft, Anthea quickly stripped down, cleaned her teeth, and flopped into bed partially exhausted. While relatively simple, traveling was wearing all the same. She set her alarm for early enough to catch up on the daily news and reports before her breakfast meeting. One of her new and very comfortable navy skirt suits was in employ, along with the appropriate foundation garments. Her hair was tricky to persuade to cooperate, but eventually she smoothed it and got just the right satisfying wave to it before heading over to Mycroft's suite.

Mycroft had a light meal brought up but only managed about half of it before she couldn't resist the siren call of her bed. It was sinfully comfortable, and she slept very well for about five hours. This establishment would have to go on the list of preferred hotels if only for the beds. She headed down to the hotel's fitness centre for a run, then back up to her room to shower and was just slipping her suit jacket on as she heard Anthea knocking at the door. 

"Good morning - breakfast things on the dining room sideboard. I'll be with you in a moment, I just need to get my shoes." 

Anthea watched Mycroft get her shoes, eyes drawn to her stocking feet and suddenly feeling very intrusive. She quickly settled her things down, beginning to rattle off the events that had occurred over the few hours they'd napped.

Their contacts arrived not too long later, and Anthea took a step back to be the PA, taking notes and keeping quiet unless Mycroft needed something.

Later that evening, things had been pretty much wrapped up. There were a few loose ends to take care of in the morning, but Mycroft had been anticipating things taking longer. She could only credit Anthea with that; the second she needed information, the other woman had it ready. Her suggestions showed good instincts as well and Mycroft had never been more pleased with a hiring decision in her professional life. 

She suggested grabbing a late dinner in the hotel's lounge, since they'd just wrapped up their meetings, and she didn't feel like eating room service alone in her suite.

Anthea agreed readily, and for the second time within so many weeks she found herself sitting down comfortably with Mycroft Holmes having a very seemingly intimate meal together. She didn't mind, but she sure as hell minded that this was a professional dinner only, not anything more.

"I have no idea what to order, and if I recall you had quite good taste last time. I am open to suggestion," she settled her menu down and looked at the other woman for guidance.

Mycroft made a calculated risk and allowed the soft smile she always wanted to turn on Anthea to come to her lips, nodding gracefully as she scanned the menu. "The opportunity to try Kobe beef ought not to be missed," she suggested, as their server came over. After a short consultation with the young man, she ordered two steaks and asked if the chef would please determine the accompaniments based on what was freshest in the kitchen. A bottle of a very nice cabernet rounded out the order. 

That smile was lethal, and the spark in Mycroft's eye made Anthea suspect that she knew just how charming she was being to her assistant. Anthea only prayed that they could hold off long enough for Anthea to be settled in this job and have Alex sorted out before they crossed any lines.

"You dine in style, Ms Holmes," Anthea commented when the wine had arrived and been tasted, "I shall have to watch my workout routine whilst working with you."

Lines were very blurry when they were drawn in the sand between two strong tides and that smile was disarming.

"I find a morning workout routine to be a good start to the day," Mycroft replied. "I realize it helps offset my culinary indulgences, but I'm much less stressed since I began making a habit of it about a year ago." 

She sipped her wine, sitting back in her chair in a relaxed and open, yet alert, posture. "I really must credit you with how smoothly things have gone today. I'm wondering if you're a bit psychic with how quickly you managed to have exactly what I needed, as I needed it." 

She knew she was laying it on a bit thick, but she'd said nothing that wasn't true. Somehow this had gone from a job offer to a person whose talents were not being utilized to a slow, careful seduction of a remarkably talented and lovely woman - and she would need to tread very carefully lest she lose Miss Jones' respect. A couple of months, at least, until she was more established and knowledgeable in the position, working fully alongside Mycroft. 

"Reading people is a hobby - which was why Morgan got very little past me. And anyone he had a meeting with gave a new challenge to discern, which was why I stayed for as long as I did," Anthea tried to brush off the compliments whilst having the decency to blush faintly. She could likely pass that off as the wine getting into her blood quickly because the lack of food.

"You were incredible today. It was a pleasure to see you in your element." She turned the flow of conversation towards the other woman, "All the credit must go to you, you mastered the situation with ease. I was simply an accompaniment to your performance."

Flattery for flattery. Mycroft liked Anthea's style. "A necessary accompaniment," Mycroft said firmly, making eye contact. "But thank you for the compliments. I'm sure it helps that I speak several languages." She leaned forward as she spoke: "People-watching and being able to retain the information is a valuable skill in many lines of work, but in ours, especially - so tell me about the people we saw today. Did anything stand out that we ought to note?" 

Anthea took a moment to consider, mulling it over as she sipped her wine, "I would say we should note the way that team-member Palmer seemed attached to one of the assets. That would be a point of leverage that multiple parties could exploit," she said, unsure if she had noted much else of importance, or even vague interest. "There was also the matter of the way that Landon addressed you, although it wasn't unlike Morgan's deportment so I did not take too much stock of it," Anthea decided that was as much that needed to be said on the subject.

"Landon has been... reprimanded about his attitude before and I believe the punishment for further infractions was supposed to be reassignment. That was quite mild compared to the last time I had to deal with him, but a reminder of consequences wouldn't go amiss," she mused. "Palmer, hmm. It's possible. So long as the job gets done, I try not to interfere in the personal lives of agents. That situation is worth keeping an eye on, though," Mycroft agreed, and reached for the bottle of wine to top off their glasses as the food arrived. 

Anthea nodded, trusting Mycroft's judgement on both the men and the wine, "Then an eye they shall have," she said quite ungracefully, but it had been a long few days and they were taking a well deserved dinner break before resting for the evening and catching their flight back home in the mid-morning.

She enjoyed the meal immensely, commenting to Mycroft as such a few comfortably silent minutes later.

Mycroft concurred with her enjoyment of the meal. The steak was outstanding, the wine was delicious, and the company was charming. At some point, a second bottle of wine was ordered as they sat talking for most of the evening, and by the time the check was paid and they were headed up to their rooms, Mycroft was a bit tipsy indeed. Not falling-down drunk, but suffering from lowered inhibitions and a tendency to giggle. 

Anthea hadn't smiled so genuinely so much in too long; her cheeks were beginning to hurt but she didn't want this night to end. It was going to, because she fully intended to walk up to her room and go to bed quite alone tonight.

She wasn't quite as steady on her feet when she finally hoisted herself from her chair, but her eyes were bright with exuberance for the enjoyable evening she'd just had, "Shall we head upstairs, then?" Anthea indicated for Mycroft to proceed her.

"I can hear the siren song of my bed from here," Mycroft replied, which she supposed was an affirmative answer. She managed to navigate her way through the lounge and lobby to the bank of lifts as Anthea trailed along after. Like a duckling. Not quite a duckling. But it was an amusing image nonetheless. 

She leaned against the wall of the lift as it carried them skyward, studying Anthea in the dim, golden glow of the soft overhead lights. Yes. She had chosen well on fashion sense alone. 

Anthea leaned against the opposite wall in the lift, glancing up as though she could gauge how far they had to go through the ceiling of the cramped space, "We have a well deserved rest after today, I think," she finally looked over at Mycroft, the damnable woman looking soft and feminine and powerful in the strange lighting of the lift. She looked like she could have Anthea right here, right now, and they would both enjoy it immensely, if that gleam in her eye was anything to go by. It was terrifying and thrilling all wrapped in one, and Anthea was counting the floors until theirs came up and she could escape this tempting presence for a few hours to screw her head on right.

Oh. Ohhh, God. It wasn't just Mycroft, was it? Anthea was fighting attraction just the same. If it had been any other woman in the lift looking at her like Anthea was currently, she would be assured of having them with very little effort. Slightly tipsy, the influence of a good meal and easy conversation, and the soft lighting would make it simple, especially as she was tipsy as well. Yet, she was not yet willing to cross that line with the surprising Miss Jones. No, she wouldn't take that step until she could be assured of lasting victory. 

"A well-deserved rest, indeed," she replied in a husky tone, the effect of the wine. "By the by, this hotel ought to go on the preferred list; the beds are utterly divine, don't you think?"

"Incredibly spacious and like sleeping on a cloud," she replied automatically with a satisfied hum that could be considered a bit suggestive, blushing furiously moments later, "I'll add it to the list, Ms Holmes," Anthea tried to straighten and regain some composure.

They could not and would not do this. Not tonight. That was the bell indicating their floor, she needed to move off the lift and go to her room. Was her key in her pocket or her bag? Did Mycroft really find her as attractive as her eyes suggested she did? What was Alex doing today?

Anthea made herself move, hurrying off the lift and down the hall towards her room, "I will see you in the morning, then," she said by way of saying goodnight to Mycroft.

The key was thankfully easily accessible in her pocket.

"Good night," Mycroft called quietly after her, shaking her head in self-deprecating amusement. This was going to be the most fun she'd had in _ages_. She couldn't even remember the last time she'd had any interest in pursuing anyone beyond a quick romp to let off steam. Entanglements and their line of work didn't usually combine well. 

Mycroft let herself into her suite and sighed, leaning against the door to close it. There was no point in trying to deny it - she was smitten.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The rest of the trip to Tokyo - and complications in Anthea's personal life.

Anthea quickly stripped and started getting ready for bed, wondering slightly if she might be reading more into this than there truly was between them. She still might drop the hint of Alex while the excuse was still there to create a bit of space, but knew her partner wouldn't last and Anthea would rather not shove Mycroft too far away. 

Learning from her previous mistake and not wishing to spend another extended flight hung over, Mycroft downed two glasses of water and some aspirin during her pre-sleep routine. Still, it would have been worth the hangover - the wine had been delicious. The company, even more so. And she was going to sleep before she let herself think any further along that particular path at the moment. 

It wasn't too late, really - she'd be able to get about eight hours of rest, which was almost an unheard-of luxury in her life. They had just one quick stop to make on their way back to the airport and this business would be taken care of. 

Anthea drank her fill of water before bed, leaving another glass on her bedside table along with several aspirin. She hadn't had too much to drink, but it was enough to likely cause a headache in the morning.

Her sleep was peaceful and deep, wine luckily having a soporific effect on her. Anthea rolled out of bed the next morning feeling a bit wild, but following the advice that Mycroft had given, she decided to take a few minutes in her room to do small space exercises before showering.

Might as well use all that frustrated energy for something productive.

Mycroft had some interesting dreams, fueled by wine and frustration, and skipped her usual morning run for another sort of endorphin-producing activity entirely. 

And she categorically refused to feel guilty about it. 

Thus, it was a well-rested and cheerful Mycroft who texted Anthea that morning after she was ready to go with an offer of breakfast in her suite again. 

Anthea responded in acceptance, more than determined to keep things normal between the two of them. Today was going to be mostly spent in transit, so she dressed with that in mind. Comfortable black slacks and a fitted plum colored jumper with her white button up underneath. She kept with the heels, still working on becoming completely natural moving in them.

Her bags packed and ready to go, Anthea went to knock on Mycroft's door for breakfast. "Hello, Ms Holmes - how are you this morning?" she asked cheerfully, far more chipper than she really had any right to be after their previous night and how early she had woken up this morning.

"Good morning, Anthea - I'm just fine, thank you. I hope you slept well?" Mycroft inquired. Her bags were sitting in the entrance to the suite and the short jacket that went over the deep green sheath she wore draped across the arm of the sofa, so she was ready to depart as soon as they'd finished breakfast. 

"I had them set up over here this morning, since we certainly didn't need the entire formal dining area for the two of us," she continued, indicating the small table near the window overlooking the city below. 

"Gives us a chance to admire the city before we depart," she highly approved of the location, although had to push away the inclination to think of it as a fairly intimate breakfast between the two women.

"I slept very well; the beds were truly divine, I'll miss them," she smiled as she sat down, waiting for Mycroft to begin before starting to pile food on her own plate.

"Tokyo is one of my favourite cities," Mycroft replied, glancing out at the skyline. "I'm sorry we do have to head back right away. I hope the next visit we can make a little time for sightseeing." 

Mycroft had gone with a more traditional Japanese style breakfast for herself; grilled fish and rice with umeboshi, although there were various pastries and the like on the table as well. 

Anthea agreed with a nod, helping herself to some breakfast, "What other cities have you visited that have left an impression?" she asked before taking a bite, wanting to know more about this woman, and perhaps some of her previous excursions around the world.

Anthea wasn't well traveled, but she had an up to date passport before beginning work with Mycroft that had been used once on an attempt at a romantic holiday to Italy with Alex. That had been a few bottles of wine short a disaster.

"Venice is a favourite, as is Barcelona. I also quite like Buenos Aires. I used to ski with my parents and sister near Geneva every Christmas, so I have a bit of nostalgia for there, as well." Mycroft replied, taking a sip of her tea. "Have you had the chance to do much traveling? I must admit that nothing makes me happier than going home to London." 

"I've made my way around the island a bit, other than that not much. The transport minister didn't have much travel in his schedule, and I haven't had much time to go anywhere. Although my partner and I had a brief stay in Rome a year or so ago," she didn't divulge how mediocre the trip had been even compared to this one.

Partner. Ah. That was that, then. It was one thing to poach a PA from a (completely bloody undeserving) colleague - it was another entirely to interfere in an established relationship. She would just enjoy the flirtation for the enjoyment that it was, and press no further. "Rome is also a city I enjoy. I'm not sure there's better on the globe for people watching."

Mycroft’s phone pinged. And again. And bloody again - and she frowned, glancing down at it. It was 11pm in London, what in the world could be going on? She shot Anthea an apologetic glance as she picked the device up and unlocked it. Oh! Well, that was certainly noteworthy. She turned the screen around and showed it to Anthea - a headline from the Financial Times: 'Minister for Transport Alan Morgan resigns amidst allegations of embezzlement.'

"Oh dear me, I would have never seen that coming," Anthea had a shocked look on her face, completely ingenuine and finally dissolving into mirth, "Oh dear, I wish I wasn't so happy that he finally got his desserts, but he was abominable," she took a deep breath, regaining her composure.

Anthea had almost completely lost track of what the time was in London, and was a bit put out that Alex hadn't tried contacting her this entire time, although much could be said for she herself not making an effort. Communication was a two way street that neither seemed inclined to make effort on. The wedding was only a few weeks away, they could put up a facsimile of a relationship up until then.

Anthea's laughter was infectious, and even Mycroft allowed herself a chuckle or two. "Nonsense, seeing someone get the comeuppance they deserve is one of life's little pleasures. Schadenfreude, my dear Miss Jones," she said, gesturing with her chopsticks. "Oh, I just remembered - did you get something worked out with your dress fitting? I'm sure we could get someone to come to the office if necessary."

"I haven't begun to plan that out, but it might be easiest to do that during a lunch or some such thing, if you don't mind?" Anthea could just imagine how delicious it would be to wear her rather well fitting maid of Honor dress in front of Mycroft, albeit nothing could come of it. Perhaps laying the foundations for years to come? "And how is Sherlock? Did the flat clear up alright?" personal question for personal question, that was completely fair, right?

"Wait until the next gala or state dinner. I've spent many a lunch hour being fitted for this, that, or the other, trying to eat a protein bar and reply to emails the entire time. It's ridiculous. I would wear a tux to every event but for the fact that performing femininity at these things is always the best sort of subterfuge," Mycroft explained. "It's a game." 

She sat back, putting her chopsticks at down in favor of cradling her warm teacup in her hands. "As for Sherlock? She's fine, the flat is fine. Dr Watson will have shepherded her home by now. I do hope those two figure out they're each completely mad for each other soon. It's difficult to be in the same room with both of them - hence my hangover the other morning," she said, a sly grin on her lips.

Anthea laughed at the picture that Mycroft painted of her wayward consulting sister and her doctor flatmate. They sounded utterly charming despite the warning that Mycroft gave her.

"I imagine I'll be picking up the narrative of feminine subterfuge as well at these sort of large events," Anthea commented, "Your sister seems completely charming. I hope that she and Dr. Watson do grow closer in time. It's always good when these sort of stories have a happy ending."

"She can be charming, when she wants to be - I'll grant her that much," Mycroft agreed. "That would be ideal. Perhaps I could stop worrying over her as much." One gets the feeling that Mycroft considers it her job to worry over Sherlock, and she takes it as seriously as her actual career. 

There was something wistful about the way that Mycroft spoke of caring for her sister, almost solemn and aging. Anthea felt like they had strayed into too personal a subject, "Family has this convenient way of making us worry about them. Sometimes they worry too much over us, at least that has been my experience in the past."

"When your baby sister is a recovering addict, there is no such thing as too much worry," Mycroft murmured, more to herself or into her tea than directly to Anthea. After a moment she set the tea down and graced Anthea with a wry smile. "Are you ready to depart? One last little meeting, and then back on the plane. We'll arrive around 10 A.M. London time and go into the office until 2 unless something blows up. Then I would advise you to do your best to stay up until your usual bedtime, just to combat any jet lag." 

"That should be doable, especially with a good cup of coffee to see us through the afternoon," Anthea said cheerfully, standing to go retrieve her bags, "I will meet you in the lobby momentarily?" she left Mycroft to her musings, still unsure how they had gotten on so personal a topic. It wasn't fair that she wanted to know Mycroft better, to help her with her sister in any way she could, or even introduce her to her own family.

Their meeting went smoothly, and soon enough Anthea and Mycroft were on their way to the airfield.

Mycroft spent the first little bit of the flight in self-recrimination mode, reminding herself that Miss Jones likely did not care about her family issues, no matter how open and friendly she was. None of that... sentiment was necessary information. Now that she'd given it, it couldn't be taken back, regardless. And she didn't want to, at that. She stifled a yawn. These short trips with so much time-zone hopping were tiring. 

Anthea had brushed Mycroft off fairly quickly over breakfast, she realized, but there was a piece of Anthea that couldn't be all present for Mycroft quite yet. Besides, they were just beginning their working relationship; some semblance of professionalism between them might be needed.

The flight back to London seemed to take a shorter amount of time, the in flight service just as gracious and prompt as on the first flight.

When they arrived back at the office, Mycroft had information waiting for her on the details of Morgan's resignation and how deep the misappropriation of funds had gone. The man had managed to implicate half his office staff. Well past time for a good house cleaning there. She shared the information with Anthea before leaving for the day - she deserved to know what the details were, having come from that office. 

Anthea was surprised at the amount of corruption in the office she had been in only a few weeks before. She knew that they were not all clean, but to this extent? Mycroft had been gone a few hours by the time Anthea left the office, having read through the full report and caught up on other ongoing operations.

She also set up a lunch where her seamstress would come into the office later in the week, taking Mycroft's suggestion. It was something that needed to get done, and with how much they worked she appreciated her employers leeway in this matter. The wedding was set for a weekend, which Anthea was very careful to schedule around as they continued to work together.

A few weeks later, Mycroft had bumped up Anthea's security clearances - she was learning fast and had such wonderful aptitude for the work. She was no closer to solving her personal dilemma, but remained professionally friendly with Anthea, going by her lead. Their shared lunches a couple of times a week were worth looking forward to. 

Working with Mycroft had gotten easier, but the attraction and enjoyment of sharing a meal had not dissipated in the slightest. She had successfully balanced Alex out of her schedule, only talking to her partner about benign things when she saw them, and managing her sister's growing anxiety over the wedding with some sort of poise whenever she called.

It was with some embarrassment Anthea walked into the office one morning the week before the wedding, looking more weary than tired, and sporting a small diamond ring on her left hand. How the hell had she gotten in this position?

She set about making two cups of coffee for herself and Mycroft, adding an extra bit of bitter caffeine for herself.

Mycroft barely glanced up when Anthea brought the coffee in, but it was enough to catch the sparkle of the diamond on her hand. Engaged, then. She supposed it made sense. Long term partner, weddings on the brain, and Mycroft was so very sure that whoever had put that ring on Anthea's finger didn't deserve her. And since this line of work and relationships didn't tend to combine, it would only be so long before she lost the best right hand woman she'd ever had. "I see congratulations are in order," she murmured.

"What?" Anthea had been lost in distracting herself from the compressed carbon on her left hand and instead focusing on the day's schedule, "Thank you," her smile certainly didn't reach her eyes, but it would be enough to fool the casual observers.

A traitorous part of her mind reminded her that she no longer worked with casual observers. Maybe she should have taken it off while working, running the risk of forgetting to put it back on or losing it.

"Today's schedule is fairly full, would you like to go over it before we begin?" Get on with the day, that was Anthea's goal. She had enough on her plate to worry about without considering what was going through Mycroft's head.

Mycroft caught how that smile didn't go all the way to her eyes. Perhaps things weren't as blissful as one would think for a newly engaged couple. Still, she felt mopey. Which was ridiculous. Time to get to work and not worry about the frankly unimpressive ring on Anthea's hand. For goodness’ sake, a tiny chip of a diamond?! She'd only known her for a few months and worked with her a few weeks, and she knew that a diamond didn't suit the other woman at all. 

"Yes, let's see what we have ahead of us today," she replied, coming around to perch on the edge of her desk, as was her habit. 

Anthea slowly thawed in Mycroft's presence, the work a welcome distraction to the ridiculous farce that was her current personal life. She almost wished for nothing else besides a sudden trip across the world with Mycroft where they went and saved the day, returning only after the wedding had happened when Anthea could easily cut ties with Alex.

As it was, due to careful planning and monitoring, everything seemed to be going suspiciously well and it seemed as though Anthea might have the weekend, or at least Saturday, uninterrupted.

The day went smoothly enough for as busy as it was, although Mycroft was looking forward to getting home. She still had work to do when she sent Anthea home at five, but opted to take it to her home office instead. If she worked the rest of the evening, checking up on her away teams and plowing her way through a pint of salted caramel gelato to soothe her wounded pride, well, nobody needed to know.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another lunch at Claridge's - and an international operation causes a snag - our duo must divide and conquer.

Anthea had been pounced on by her sister as soon as she got home, wondering where she had been recently and please god help her with the last minute wedding planning. 

Who was Anthea to say no? Thus, she suddenly found herself balancing three different lives: Mycroft, Alex, and her sister's. It was hardly what Anthea wanted to be doing, but here she was.

Managing Mycroft's work life was at least relatively straightforward; at least to her mind it was, but Alex was troublesome and her sister? Total nightmare. By the end of her evening (which ended around one in the morning), her sister was calmed down and had an action plan to get her through the week, and Anthea was collapsing into bed.

Her wardrobe the next day called for Anthea to dress ten times nicer than she felt, wearing a new charcoal skirt and a very nice maroon blouse, both of which were of a fine material, and her heels that she knew gave her to-die-for legs. She decided that if she started the day feeling like she could take on the world, that's how the day would continue to go.

She could only hope that it followed through with the rest of the week as well.

Tuesday brought a meeting with the PM in the morning and a meeting with the equerry in the afternoon. Mycroft departed from her usual sartorial strategy with the PM for one of the new suits she'd had made recently. Charcoal grey, close fitting, with a snowy white shirt open at the collar under the waistcoat and shiny patent leather heels. It was very much a “kill a man and still look amazing” sort of outfit. 

Perhaps if Anthea had to leave Mycroft’s employ because of the demands of her relationship, Harry could use her at the palace. She deserved to be utilized properly. Great, now she was mopey again. She stopped on her way into the office for lattes and scones. She needed proper fortification for dealing with the PM. 

Anthea was in the office when Mycroft arrived, and had to hide her surprise at the similarity of dress they had both chosen. Charcoal grey was clearly a favorite between them, and Anthea had to ignore the treacherous voice in the back of her mind that insisted that it also suited Mycroft quite well.

She trailed after her employer to the different meetings, keeping her up to date on the day's progress and thanking her deeply for the blessing that was the latte in her hand that saw her through the morning.

"Shall we get lunch?" Mycroft asked, as they slipped back into the car after the meeting with the PM. "We look too good today with our unintentional coordination to waste it on delivery to the office."

Oh, it was selfish of her to want to take Anthea to lunch - but in her mind, time was limited. She hoped whoever who had given her that ring knew just what an absolute treasure they had and how much she would be wasted doing some mundane job.

"I'll follow your lead," Anthea answered, "We do make a rather dashing pair, and formidable too if the PM's reaction was any indication," she teased slightly, very aware that the PM had been tripping over his tongue a bit more than he might usually in Mycroft's solo presence.

Was it fair to Mycroft that she secretly wanted to go around having lunch on her arm on a regular basis? They made more than a dashing pair, she would say that they were a force to behold, and could be an even greater force if they continued to work together as well as they did.

Mycroft refused to allow herself to imagine being half of a dashing pair with Anthea beyond anything work related. It was true that Mycroft was skilled at wielding her femininity like a weapon, and Anthea was becoming more and more adept by the day. The more the younger woman learned, the stronger their partnership became. 

"Shall we be very, very naughty and go to Claridge's?" she suggested, raising an eyebrow with a cheeky grin. "We don't have to be at the palace until 3, and there's not much else going that cannot be monitored from our mobiles. Or will you be too tempted to just order coffee gelato and nothing else?" 

"I'll order the gelato, there's no temptation involved, but only after I've treated myself to a proper meal," she reasoned with a grin. Oh dear, they were going to look as though they were on a date once again, what would Mycroft's former paramour be thinking? Probably along the lines that there were two women who clear were attracted to one another having yet another meal out together. If that were the whole story, how blissful Anthea would be.

They had seemingly a million other entanglements that took up their time, however, least of which had been texting her all morning. She had studiously ignored her sister all morning, but took a moment to reply to her while they were in transit to lunch.

She sighed, "You would think that with all the planning my sister does for her work she would be better at planning her own wedding," Anthea finally grumbled, feeling put out by her sister taxing her time and the lack of sleep peeking through this day's carefully constructed demeanor.

"You allowed her to take advantage of your good nature. I have a bad habit of allowing my sister to do the same," Mycroft replied, glancing up from her phone. "At least it'll all be over this weekend, yes? I presume that's why you needed the weekend off, at least. And the gown tailored." 

Once again, the mere mention of Mycroft's name ensured them a table when they arrived, a rather cosy one in a quiet corner. 

"I don't particularly need you this afternoon, if you would like to go home early and catch up on your sleep. We have an op to oversee tomorrow beginning at nine AM - and we'll hope it goes smoothly, or we could be headed to Brazil. The last thing I want is for you to miss your sister's wedding."

"The last thing we should all want is that for how upset she'd be," Anthea shook her head, "I should be fine to power through the afternoon, but will leave right on time this evening if that is fine?" She reasoned. With everything going on, having the normalcy of work (and relaxing presence of Mycroft, if she was honest) was motivating her to get through the weekend.

Lunch was as divine as before, which Anthea was doubly grateful for, and she had a bowl of coffee gelato to finish off as promised.

Mycroft indicated that plan met with her approval. She chose raspberry sorbetto for her dessert and wasn't in any hurry to depart the restaurant for the real world. At this little table in a corner of Claridge's, she could just pretend nothing else existed and trade witty remarks with Anthea all afternoon. 

In all honesty, Mycroft was a bit excited to show off the next morning. It was the first time Anthea would see the command centre utilized and Mycroft at the helm of an international operation. 

Lunch was over far too quickly, and Anthea was calling the car around to pick them up and take them to the palace next. She stayed just as quiet but attentive during this meeting as she did in most of their meetings, enjoying the flustered reaction that they received as a duo for the second time that day.

Heading back to the office was next, to continue with general work and preparing anything that Mycroft might need for the next day. It might be a foolish hope, but Anthea wanted to plan for anything that might be thrown at them the next day so that the situation could be dealt with and wrapped up all in one day.

Mycroft was ready to go by 8:30, ensconced in her customary spot in the command centre, a few other high-ranking agents present along with Anthea and a couple of other PAs. PA was a bit of a misnomer at this point, as Anthea held higher clearances than two of the agents and all the PAs. Of course, that was strictly need-to-know - and nobody needed to know but Mycroft. 

The actual op went smoothly - mostly, but there were ends to be tied up that Mycroft realized she would need to be on the ground for, and she wasn't having this discussion in front of everyone. She turned to her most trusted agents. "Jack, Lola - be ready to depart by 1900 hours. Miss Jones - with me," she commanded, tossing her headset down and stalking off toward the elevators. 

It was absolutely exhilarating to watch Mycroft in her element, and Anthea was getting there, slowly but surely over the weeks they'd spent working together, she could see how she'd surpassed all the colleagues they already worked with. Although, she was woman enough to admit that she was still several steps behind Mycroft in thinking most of the time, and it wasn't until she'd followed in her employer's wake to the elevator and started rising that she realized why Mycroft had been stalking down the corridor.

Oh no, this can't be happening. Absolutely could not. It was only Wednesday, if they were quick, they'd be back in time and Anthea could support remotely. Everything on her end was tidied up, all that was left was anything her sister was fretting over, which frankly was all tied up anyways. It would be fine, except that it would raise several questions with people who Anthea would rather not disclose her new employment status to.

She was quiet until they got back to their area of the building.

"I apologize for that display," Mycroft offered, as she ushered Anthea into her office. "And I hate to throw you in the deep end once again, but as you need to be _here_ this week and weekend, that is our only choice. Jack and Lola will accompany me to Brazil. You will stay here and hold down the fort, so to speak. I have every confidence in your ability to do so. Saturday, Kate will be on call so you can enjoy yourself at the wedding - you've done so much work on it, you deserve a nice night with your family and your intended."

"I'll try to cut it as short as I can so that I am here supporting you while you're away," Anthea heaved a huge sigh of relief internally, not wanting to outwardly show how much less complicated Mycroft was just able to make her life with a few simple choice words. Besides, it would give her a good reason to escape the wedding if everyone became a little too interested in her personal life. "As soon as Sunday is over, I am fully yours from here on out," Anthea vowed, not grasping how firmly she believed that nor how strongly a double entendre it was.

"No need. I expect to be back by Saturday, or on the way back, at the very least," Mycroft assured her. "Fully mine? One might think you were flirting with me, Miss Jones," she went on, bestowing a teasing grin on Anthea. "In any case, I would advise you to take up knitting or something similar that doesn't involve me. Work-life balance, I'm told, is valuable." 

Anthea was very interested that Mycroft hadn't mentioned that the balance could involve her purported soon to be spouse, but she refused to look into it. Her traitorous cheeks flushed slightly at Mycroft's words, however, "I have a whole new exciting world of martial arts and defense techniques to master and balance you with," she teased, unable to help herself and flirting back with Mycroft. This was the closest they'd gotten since Japan, and this was laying out their attraction a bit more openly on the table than they usually did.

She wanted Sunday to be over with, or maybe she'd end things with Alex Saturday evening to give them the next day to clean their things from the flat. Anthea could then go hide in the office for distraction and hopefully have Mycroft to look forward to seeing.

"I'm not sure, seeing you display martial arts techniques may well qualify as flirting," Mycroft quipped, though her heart wasn't in it. She reached out and tapped Anthea's ring. "But you ought not to make promises you won't be able to keep. This line of work is not conducive to long-term relationships with those outside of it. I hope you can make it work, for your sake, and if not, you'll depart my service with glowing references." Because of course, of course Anthea would choose her fiance over the work. Mycroft may well be devoted and all but married to it, but she couldn't expect that from anyone else - it didn't occur to her to expect it from anyone else.

 

"That is very kind of you, but I am hoping that as of Sunday this," she held up her left hand, "Should no longer pose an imposition on our work," it might be giving her hand away too much in a sense, but Anthea had no inclination to allow an attachment such as Alex to hold her back from a potentially incredible career by Mycroft's side. "That being said, I think that self defence is quite a good way to show off certain benefits of working with one another. Someone has to be the brawn in this partnership," Anthea had to tease Mycroft, bring this conversation back to lighter topics before either of them said something they might need to take back later. 

Mycroft laughed outright at Anthea's comments about being the brawn in the relationship; tiny little Anthea! Well, she was formidable and becoming more so by the day. She had taken to shooting especially well. The comment about her engagement no longer being a problem, she merely raised an eyebrow. There could be many meanings there, too many to properly parse at the moment.

She glanced at the time, frowning slightly. "Well, my dear, I need to go home and pack so I don't leave Jack and Lola waiting at the airstrip. I know you will do a brilliant job of taking care of things here, but I am only a text or phone call away should the need arise - and Kate will be your right hand woman. If you like how you work together, we'll keep her on in that position as you get more involved," she explained. 

"I will suss her out," Anthea affirmed, stepping back from Mycroft. When in this conversation had they gotten in such close proximity? "You had best get going, or you'll worry over things being done right while your away and truly leave Jack and Lola waiting," she could handle the office solo for a few days while balancing her sister. It shouldn't be too large of a problem - Mycroft would really only be a phone call away if she was truly desperate.

The only thing Anthea imagined needing to call Mycroft for was to catch up on their days. It was so rare for them to be apart, Anthea had gotten used to the woman in the few short weeks they'd been working together.

Before she'd even had a chance to calculate the possible outcomes, Mycroft gently grasped Anthea's wrist as she moved away. "Call _me_ if you need _me_ ," she murmured, and then let go, trusting Anthea would understand the emphasis.

Once she was on the plane, however, she was all business. The less said about what that business was, the better - but Mycroft herself eliminated targets with extreme prejudice. 

Anthea felt like her skin had been permanently marked where Mycroft had taken a gentle hold of her wrist. She wanted nothing more in that moment to run away with Mycroft to whatever operation they had to oversee, to completely disappear from the rest of her life and focus on what she was truly enjoying - which was work. 

There was a country to run in the taller woman's absence, however, a wedding to finish planning, and a significant other to gently cut loose. Anthea had quite a bit on her plate to chew through before she could next see Mycroft Holmes. She put her ever increasing skills at task managing to the test, making her way through the rest of Wednesday and into Thursday.

Kate was an interesting addition to the team, one that could work but she did not seem to step into the role as quickly as Anthea had with Mycroft. As nominal PA, Anthea took the other woman through her paces as to what her duties were in the office when it was just Anthea, or if Mycroft was also present. She had a feeling that Kate might not like her much by the end of the day.

They managed to wrap things up by late Friday, Rio time, and would arrive in London mid-afternoon on Saturday. Mycroft planned to do something relaxing once she got home. A hot bath and a very large glass of wine, perhaps. 

Anthea had a status update from Mycroft's team on Friday as she was working on last minute arrangements with her sister after the dress rehearsal. It was really all going quite smoothly as far as weddings went, and Anthea couldn't be more pleased to have survived a few days in the office without Mycroft and seemed to be on track to survive her sister's wedding.

The only thing left was to break things off gently with Alex sometime on Saturday evening or Sunday during the day. How did one suddenly return a ring that they had been given not only a week before?


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post-Rio and Post-Wedding, Mycroft and Anthea reuinite at Mycroft's home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mea culpa for the late upload. Let's just say life has been busy, and I've barely been able to sit down, much less find time for anything else. Next update will be on Sunday, as usual, so not so long to wait :)

As planned and predicted, the full wedding and reception went on without a hitch, and Anthea found herself enjoying the celebrations for her sister. It wasn't until Alex was preparing for them to leave that Anthea felt a faint bit of unease about the entire event.

Late Saturday evening found Mycroft ensconced in her reading chair in her study, bundled up with her pyjamas, dressing gown, and a cosy throw as she contemplated the mobile in her hands. She desperately wanted to text Anthea and ask how the wedding had gone. Four days without her increasingly-important colleague seemed to be far too long. But colleague wasn't quite right. There were... feelings developing there. 

Got back from Rio a while ago. How did the wedding go off? -M

Felt her phone buzz, but saw that it was a benign message from Mycroft. She would answer it as soon as she left Alex. Mycroft had been an incredible motivator to changing her life around recently, and she would allow herself the other woman's presence to be a light in the darkness one last time.

Several hours later with a box of tissues and pint of ice cream, Anthea sat on her sofa finally responding to Mycroft.

The wedding was great. What followed was a bit of a challenge, but a long time coming. There is no longer a ring on my finger, as I said would happen by Sunday. - A

I'm sorry for your challenges and I'm glad the wedding went well. I'm having a rather low-key evening. Wine and a novel in my pyjamas. I needed it after Brazil. -M

I'm having myself a pity party on my own with a pint of ice cream and a box of tissues. No wine for me when I'm this emotional. At least not on my own. - A

Mycroft frowned. She didn't like the thought of Anthea being upset. 

I have most of the bottle left and a guest room. You're welcome to both, if you'd like company and don't think it would be inappropriate. -M

Would it be inappropriate? Absolutely. Did Anthea care? Not at all. She considered how likely she was to stay in the guest bed if she went to Mycroft tonight, and decided it was a chance she'd be willing to make.

I'll get a taxi and be over momentarily. - A

She was still wearing her plum colored maid of honor dress from earlier, and planned on continuing to wear it as she packed up a small overnight bag to take with to Mycroft's. Anything else she might need she was sure her host would be able to provide.

See you soon, then -M 

The guest room likely needed airing, and Mycroft went to take care of that before Anthea arrived. She needed to tread carefully. They had to work together, and there was no way she wanted to risk their professional partnership over a badly handled personal entanglement. 

Besides, Mycroft had no interest in being a rebound fling. 

She kept reminding herself of that as she fluffed the duvet and dusted a little. The fireplace was stacked with kindling and logs should Anthea want it lit later. But as she was the sort of woman who prepared for all eventualities, she ducked into her room as well and made sure it was tidy.

The taxi ride to Mycroft's home didn't take too long, but it was the first time she had been there, so she checked the address several times to make sure that she was in the right neighborhood. It was a very grand looking home, and Anthea was a fair bit intimidated by the greatness of it.

But when she knocked on the door and it was Mycroft, not some stranger, who answered, Anthea felt a reassured although perhaps still very over dressed in her well fitted bridesmaid dress with her hair still pinned up. Mycroft probably thought she was ridiculous for coming over in her dress, but Anthea felt beautiful and that's what she needed to feel after the horrible slander that Alex had thrown at her.

Whatever Mycroft was expecting when she opened the door, it certainly wasn't Anthea still all dressed up for the wedding. God, she looked incredible, even with her eyes all puffy and red from crying. She felt a little underdressed, even though she had her satin pyjamas on and not the cosy flannel ones. 

"Was anyone even paying attention to the bride with you there?" Mycroft asked, after inviting Anthea in and closing the door. "I imagine most people couldn't keep their eyes off of you - that dress is stunning. I feel as though I should go change to do it justice." 

Anthea laughed with good humour at Mycroft's compliment, "My sister was just as stunning, with the added radiance of being the bride," she assured her, leaving the bag by the door as she went further into Mycroft's home, "It really was a good event up until I left with my intended and proceeded to break the news that I no longer wished to be engaged, or marry them at all."

She shrugged, feeling a bit ridiculous baring her story to her employer, but here she was in a beautiful gown, and there was Mycroft looking just as important but wearing satin pajamas. They made quite the picture, she was sure. Although there was an added benefit of Anthea being on closer eye level to Mycroft whilst the other woman was in houseshoes to her heels.

All the better for Mycroft. She knew it wasn't her fault; she'd warned Anthea up front about what this career path did for personal relationships. Still, she did wonder if the job had contributed. "I'm sorry. That must have been a difficult choice to make." Mycroft said, leading Anthea to the study, where a fire was lit and lamps gave a soft glow to the room while allowing plenty of light for reading. "Make yourself comfortable, I'm going to grab another glass. There's more blankets in the cedar chest there if you're chilly." 

Anthea was sitting on a chair near the fire when the other woman returned, not the one that Mycroft had seemed to be inhabiting before Anthea rudely interrupted her evening, "I have been intending on waiting until after my sister's wedding to break it off. They've known each other for a while and I wanted to give Alex the benefit of attending the wedding without feeling unease at my presence. That being said, the reaction I got when we left was less than impressive."

She gratefully accepted a glass of wine from Mycroft, "Enough of that, though, how was Brazil?"

Mycroft frowned, nose wrinkling at the comment about the reaction of this Alex being less than impressive. 

"Brazil... was hot. My handgun got a workout, although not to the extent that Lola's sniper rifle did," she replied, settling back into her chair with a pleased sigh. "But we managed to wrap things up fairly quickly, although I'm looking at a change of leadership for that team. Jack seemed to enjoy Rio quite a lot, might put him forward." 

"Everyone on our team made it through safely?" Of course they had, or Anthea would have heard about it she was sure, but it still didn't stop her from giving Mycroft a very thorough look over. She should have been there for her employer, which in the future she would endeavour to do. For now, she would content herself with catching up over a glass of wine. 

"I'll make a note to rearrange the team gently," Anthea said, mind still firmly on work as a safety net to ignoring her own growing unease about having recently split from her significant other. It didn't matter that it was her idea, it still smarted quite a bit. 

"Kate was an interesting addition to our team, although doesn't seem to have the natural knack for picking up how our office intuitively works and runs. We could take time and train her, or continue looking for a new Assistant's assistant."

"I have a few other suggestions besides Kate. We'll give one a trial this week. Daniel, possibly. Or Evan," Mycroft mused, thinking of who was in the outer office who might be of benefit in the inner office. She took a sip of her wine and then reached for the bottle to top off her glass. "You seem unusually quiet tonight. Is it the breakup, or is something else bothersome?" 

"Break up undoubtedly," Anthea reasoned. "I might have been planning it for quite some time, but there's still something shocking about the deed being done and actually being on my own now," she kicked her shoes off and curled up in the chair, nursing the wine rather quickly as she basked in the heat from the fire.

"I'll have to break the news to my family soon, and inform them of my new employment that's been going on a month now," she grinned cheekily at Mycroft, "I've been keeping you like a guarded secret so far."

"I imagine the actual event paled in comparison to the anticipation?" Mycroft asked, tracing a fingertip around the top of her wine glass. "And I also imagine they didn't take it well. Which is none of my business, I apologise for prying." She sat forward in her chair, leaning toward Anthea. "But tell me more about keeping me a secret. I'm intrigued. It feels delightfully illicit." 

"I'm not one to enjoy other people fussing over me, so it was easier to make the switch without informing anyone, including Alex. Besides, I didn't want to try to describe my new boss to anyone, especially with how much I despised my old one," she looked at Mycroft carefully over the rim of her wine glass.

It would be impossible to begin talking about Mycroft without her attraction for the woman coming through.

"Well, Morgan's gone for good, so cheers to that," said Mycroft, raising her glass. "I hope you'll have better things to say about your new department head. I hear she has terribly high standards and expectations but makes it worth people's while - although I would hope her not being a raging misogynist would already be a step in the right direction." 

It was almost surreal to be sitting here in her study, drinking wine with Anthea, one in pyjamas and the other in a stunning ball gown, subtly flirting and dancing around their attraction to each other. 

"I feel as though I did a complete one eighty with heads of department where you are concerned," Anthea raised her glass in toast to Mycroft before finishing her drink, keeping it in her hand to fiddle with while they continued to talk, grateful to have her own armchair away from Mycroft so that neither were tempted to touch one another. She was fairly certain that were they in the least bit more proximity, hands might be straying already.

Mycroft had done some difficult things in her life, but she would rank sitting across from Anthea, drinking wine, and staying in her own damn chair in at least the top five. She curled up, tucking her legs to her chest, hugging her knees. "I'm delighted to hear it," she murmured, unable to look away. 

Anthea's eyes widened slightly as she met and held Mycroft's, wondering if coming here for consolation and company was the best idea after all. What she wouldn't give to be several months in the future when she would be adequately over Alex, able to approach Mycroft for more evenings like this, if she was willing. Anthea was almost certain she would be.

"What novel were you reading?" She asked, her voice almost too quiet in the space between them as she tried to steer the conversation to lighter topics. Books were safe, right?

Bless Anthea for her quick thinking in steering them into another topic. Mycroft knew she couldn't rush this. If it ever happened, it would be wholly worth waiting for. She picked up her book, which was a shabby, worn paperback edition of A Wrinkle in Time, and showed it to Anthea. "An old, comforting friend," she replied, "from back when I was just another awkward preteen girl like any other. I loved this series and just about everything else by this author."

She glanced around the room, lined with bookshelves stuffed full of hardcovers and old leather bound volumes. "It probably seems silly to hold onto a book in such deplorable condition, but I don't think I would get half the comfort and nostalgia from a fancier copy." 

"I've never read it," Anthea confessed, "Holding onto a book, or anything really, that saw you through a tough time is admirable, nothing wrong with holding onto it," she smiled understandingly at Mycroft. Maybe that explained Alex more than she cared to admit to herself, but it was assuring in a way, "Tell me about the book?"

Sometimes it was nice to listen to Mycroft speak, let the words wash over her, and perhaps that would be easier than their conversations always pulling them back around towards the attractive elephant in the room.

Mycroft lovingly caressed the cover of the book, long fingers stroking the illustration. "It's about an awkward, intelligent girl with two scientist parents, a genius younger brother, and two completely normal twin brothers. Her father has been working with the government on top-secret research and disappeared a couple of years ago. The town they live in is convinced he just ran off and his wife is delusional about it. But what happened was that he was fighting the Darkness and was stuck behind it. There's an adorable, unlikely boy from a neglectful home, three celestial beings, and the main character - Meg - pretty much saves the day with her ability to love and care."

"That sounds like a lovely book, especially for a young girl to read and grow up with that imagery of another girl saving the world," Anthea analyzed, although not too strongly. It was mostly to continue conversation about the book, and have a safe topic to mule over between the two of them over glasses of wine in the dim fire lit room.

Mycroft set the book back down on the table, nodding. "It taught me that intelligence and compassion need not be mutually exclusive," she agreed, stifling a yawn. "Mmm, apologies. I had a long flight after a tiring week. Why don't I show you to your room, although do feel free to stay up as long as you like - the kitchen is down the corridor to the left, rummage around if you're peckish."

"Thank you," Anthea followed Mycroft up the stairs, heels in one hand and her bag in the other. The other woman's house was beautiful, and she commented so as she was shown the room she'd be borrowing for the evening.

"Would you believe I inherited it? My grand-uncle Alisdair was apparently very fond of me. Thought I had spirit. It may have helped that he was gay as a picnic," she explained, opening up the door of one of the guest rooms. It was a pretty room, clearly designed with a feminine touch in purple and lilac with hints of green. "I hope you find it comfortable and sleep well. The door there leads to the bath." 

Anthea walked into the room, admiring it briefly before turning back to Mycroft, "It's beautiful, lucky you and lucky Uncle Alisdair for having an interesting niece like you," she set her bag and shoes down near the foot of the bed, "I think I might go make a cup of tea once I'm ready for bed, would you like one?"

"I'm glad to know you find me interesting," Mycroft teased, leaning against the doorframe. "I would, thank you - something herbal so I'm able to sleep. The cupboard above the kettle has quite a selection. I'll be in my bedroom, but there's a small sitting room in that suite, at the end of the hall. It's rather a nice place to have a bedtime cuppa."

Not only was Mycroft interesting, she was beautiful to boot. After the other woman left, Anthea went to explore the room for the en suite and changed into the loose fitted shirt and running shorts she'd brought with the sleep in. After that she popped downstairs, wandering through doors until she found said kitchen and began making two cups of herbal tea. Once they were done brewing, she took one in each hand and went to find Mycroft again.

Mycroft completed her own bedtime ablutions and curled into the corner of the sofa in the cosy sitting room to wait for Anthea to return, leaving the door open so it was easy to find. It had been a lovely evening, full of companionable chat and comfortable silences, and something Mycroft wouldn't at all mind repeating in the future. 

She looked up with a smile when Anthea appeared in the doorway, tea in hand. "Have a seat," she said, leaving it up to Anthea to decide whether to join her on the sofa or take one of the chairs. 

"You have a lovely selection of teas," Anthea complimented while handing Mycroft her cup and then retreated to an armchair. She was still uncertain about how far either of them would be brave enough to go if they were too close to one another right now.

"More than I'll ever be able to drink before they go bad. It's a minor addiction," she said, self-depricatingly. "I hope you're feeling a bit better for the company?" she asked, looking at Anthea over her steaming teacup. 

"It was exactly what was needed. Good conversation and well above average wine and tea," she had truly nearly forgot any heartache she'd had with Alex, far too easily engrossed in conversation with Mycroft. Anthea hoped that this had smoothed away the fresh shock of her breakup, and from here it would be easy sailing until she was ready to rejoin the dating pool. Or at least make herself available to a certain tall woman across from her.

"Good. Breakups are hard, I've found, even when they're the right thing to do." And if said breakup brought her further into Anthea's affections at some point in the not-so-distant future, all the better for Mycroft, although she was sorry for any of Anthea's distress. The unspoken agreement of 'not right now' was interesting, but Mycroft was nothing if not patient. 

"I think it's finally facing the reality that that person is no longer in your life in the way they were, even in the most intimate or mundane ways," she shrugged, giving the other woman a lopsided smile, "Not that Alex was ever very good at being in my life. It's just knowing they're not now," Anthea shrugged, finishing her tea off, "I think I might go to bed, goodnight Mycroft," she murmured as she rose from the chair.

"Goodnight, Anthea," Mycroft replied, as the other woman left. She finished off the last of her tea and just sat there for a little longer, lost in thought, finally shaking her head, no closer to how best to navigate the situation at hand. Perhaps the best way would be to just ignore it, get on with work, and cross that bridge when - if - they came to it. That decided, she did have work to do from home the next day even though it was Sunday, so sleep would be wise. 

Anthea went to bed, but did sleep didn't find her for quite some time. She stared at the ceiling, repeating the evening in her head, wondering at which point they had silently said to each other 'not tonight, but one day soon'? 

Perhaps it was when Anthea changed the conversation to books, or her choice of armchair away from Mycroft rather than somewhere they might sit closer together.

She finally fell asleep with the thought of picking up 'A Wrinkle in Time' to read soon.

Mycroft climbed into bed, possibilities swirling in her head as she snuggled down under the covers. She liked her autonomous life, for the most part - but there were times like tonight when she just wanted the warmth and comfort of another human being nearby, to assure her that she wasn't a monster for killing people in cold blood for a mission. She supposed just having someone else in the house was better than nothing. 

She drafted nascent plans of going to a bookshop before she started on her paperwork from the Brazil mission. She needed to pick up the Time Quartet for Anthea. Inexpensive paperback editions, so she wouldn't balk at accepting them. And possibly the graphic novel of A Wrinkle in Time, as well. Perhaps she should take Anthea out for breakfast and then book shopping. That sounded lovely. 

That sounded like a date. Not yet. Someday, soon. The mutual attraction they were both holding back from would keep. But oh, what a team they would be then. She already worked better with Anthea than anyone she'd had as an assistant before - but then again, Anthea was more than an assistant. 

She was no closer to a solution when she finally drifted off, clutching the extra pillow to her chest.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A trip to Venice has things moving forward between our two.

Besides her few nights spent in Tokyo, this was one of the most comfortable beds Anthea had slept in during her lifetime. She might have to break up with people more often so she had an excuse to sleep in Mycroft's bed. Well, one of her beds. Thanks to the tea they had just before retiring, Anthea was lucky enough to not wake up with a massive headache from dehydration between crying and the glasses of wine that were had.

She used the en suite toilet to clean up her look, making sure that there were no raccoon eyes to terrify the world with before going down for another cup of tea and to wait for Mycroft to wake up.

Mycroft finally staggered downstairs at nine, on autopilot and heading straight for the coffee grinder and french press. She acknowledged Anthea with a mumbled good morning greeting, although she didn't attempt much more conversation than that. Once she got the beans ground and put into the press, and the kettle clicked on to heat her water, she was able to focus on her guest, asking how she slept. 

Anthea was more than a little charmed by the taciturn early morning Mycroft, answering positively to her question and returning the sentiment with an added query of what they should do for breakfast.

Mycroft opened the fridge and poked her head inside, humming thoughtfully. "I've nothing in, since I was gone all week. There's a nice little cafe up the road a bit, if you don't mind an amble this early in the morning," she suggested. All right, so she had decided she wasn't going to suggest going out for breakfast - but with no milk, eggs, or bread in the house, there wasn't much choice. 

"I'm not sure if I have anything really suitable with to wear," Anthea was leaning on the island, watching Mycroft search around her kitchen for suitable breakfast things, "I can either go out in my running shorts, which might not go over well in you posh neighborhood cafe, or I can put the dress back on and look far too fancy this early in the morning," she teased.

"Considering I see people in their running gear there on many a weekend morning, I don't think you'd be at all out of place," Mycroft hummed. "But I'm sure I have a sundress or some such that's obscenely short on me that will be appropriately knee-length on you," she offered, a teasing tone in her voice.

"I am not that much shorter than you," Anthea huffed with good humour, "But if you're going to clean up your act enough to warrant a sundress, I'll follow your lead," she was a very amiable sort when it came to Mycroft. Had she been this amiable with Morgan or Alex and been happy about it? Perhaps Anthea needed to spend some time in the upcoming months ensuring that she was happy with herself before she began investing too much in Mycroft. She didn't want the other woman to be a scapegoat or rebound; Anthea would much rather they slowly grow inseparably close.

Sunday had ended up being a lovely, companionable day. It seemed easier, somehow, with the mutual silent agreement they were operating under, to get to know each other as they learned to work with each other and Anthea became more adept with the work they did. They often worked from Mycroft's home at the weekends if it became needed, just for a break from the office.

Mycroft couldn't be prouder of her, honestly, and hoped she was just as proud of herself. 

 

About two months later, they had a rather eventful week that began with Morgan's sentencing in the embezzlement trial. Sent down for 20 years, several senior staff implicated in the fracas. They ended the week by departing for a conference in Venice which started on a Monday, leaving a couple of days for possible sightseeing. 

Anthea had let go of Alex quite easily, the other diving straight into their graduate work, and Anthea busy enough without them. Her sister and family had been confused by her decision to leave Alex and change jobs, but she'd overheard them in the kitchen later commenting how utterly happy she seemed to be.

Which was true, Anthea had never been more content in life than she had been recently while at Mycroft's side. The taller woman had plucked her from the tangled web that was Morgan's office, and ensured that her name wasn't attached to his embezzlement scheme.

And now, they were well out of Dodge once again at a conference in Venice. There had been a memo about building in sight seeing for this trip, which Anthea was more than fine with. Travel with Mycroft could occasionally be a whirlwind, and they couldn't fit seeing the cities the went to always. And it was a very good excuse to perhaps take the next step in their slow courtship.

They had arrived in town, checking into their respective rooms at the hotel, and Anthea was soon dressed up for an evening out, heading out of her room to knock on Mycroft's door.

Mycroft was almost ready when Anthea knocked, with nothing left to do but slip into her jacket. Instead of a dress, she'd gone with a slim-fitting suit in inky midnight blue, a new acquisition and one she was quite pleased with - much more daringly cut than anything she'd wear during working hours - it showcased her lithe form while emphasizing her feminine features. She'd foregone any sort of tie, instead leaving the shirt open at the collar. She meant to leave work entirely off the table this evening. 

She opened the door after she'd slipped into her jacket, greeting Anthea with a smile. "Good evening. You look lovely."

Anthea had also decided to leave any vestiges of work behind for the evening, a looser skirt and blouse in a fetching forest green was bright enough that she would never wear it while in the office or going to a meeting.

Dinner out with Mycroft in Venice, however? It was the perfect time to wear something of the sort with a long wool coat to stave off the cool evening air, and sensibly a decisively sturdy pair of heels against the cobblestone streets.

"As do you. I've booked us a table for one of the restaurants you suggested at half seven. It's close enough we can get there by walking," it would be a good night to perhaps toast to their successful working relationship in the wake of Morgan's conviction, and the venue Anthea had chosen was one of the more romantically inclined ones Mycroft had suggested.

"Wonderful. A short stroll will be just the thing to work up an appetite - and you'll get to see a bit of Venice up close, rather than from the back of a car," Mycroft replied, pulling the door closed behind her. They made their way down to the lobby and then out to the street, where Mycroft offered Anthea her arm. It was a gallant gesture, perhaps a bit over the top, but Venice... well... Venice always made Mycroft feel a little whimsical. 

Anthea had to scold herself internally to not grin like a teenager as she took Mycroft's arm, "The directions from here say we should head that way," she pointed with the hand that was currently holding onto Mycroft, suddenly her whole sense of direction based on the point of contact between her and the other woman. Ridiculous, "I’m excited to see the city by foot. It's more enchanting this way."

"Venice _is_ enchanting, and only made more so by the company," Mycroft replied, smooth as anything. 

Feigning interest in the cityscape around them was a good enough excuse to not be looking directly at Mycroft with the grin that was currently stealing over her face, "I couldn't agree more," her voice was soft, hand briefly squeezing the arm it held.

Mycroft pointed out a few landmarks and pretty pieces of architecture as they leisurely made their way to the restaurant at which Anthea had secured reservations, finding great enjoyment in introducing one of her favourite people to one of her favourite cities. 

Anthea mentioned her name to the maitre d' when they arrived, and were soon sitting at a table in a more secluded corner of the restaurant as was their custom. She indicated that Mycroft should make the wine selection (she had impeccable taste), and after looking through the menu decided to see what her dinner partner was having before deciding (Anthea had found Mycroft knew her tastes better than she herself did at times).

Mycroft had never been steered wrong by the chef's special at this particular restaurant, and that was what she chose this evening, as well - chicken piccata, simple and delicious, with a very lovely white wine to go along with it. She'd never sat in this particular area of the restaurant before, and she found it had quite a lot to recommend it. Quiet, light enough to see but dim enough for good atmosphere, and a sense of having the entire place to themselves, which she was absolutely in favour of - because this wasn't a business dinner, it was a bloody date. 

Ever the follower of Mycroft in her culinary expertise, Anthea followed suit in ordering something that would go well with the white wine and was deemed well made by the chef here. The wine was delicious as she expected, which Anthea took to fortify herself for the night. There was nothing here that spoke of business between them, quite the opposite if the offered arm on the walk here was any indication. It wasn't an idea that Anthea was opposed to, she was quite eager for the idea, but sinking into a new relationship was still something that she approached with some reservation.

But as it ever was between them, conversation was light and easy, and they brought up their favorite safe topics of books once again to lean on for a good portion of the evening.

Mycroft, smitten as ever, was just happy to be in Anthea's presence, talking about books, life, the beauty of Venice, and all manner of other things. It sometimes seemed as though it was just too easy, the way they got along - but she was sure that if and when they came to loggerheads on something, neither of them would have any trouble arguing their points. 

They were finally sipping the last bit of the wine when Mycroft glanced over the dessert options. "Does any of this interest you, or shall we pop into that gelato shop we passed on the way back to the hotel?"

"You always have my attention when you pique my interest with Gelato," Anthea responded honestly, flagging down the waiter for the check, and soon finding themselves outside not but ten minutes later.

This time as they walked Anthea took Mycroft's arm without the prompting, smiling warmly up at the other woman briefly before returning her gaze to the beautiful city.

In a deft move, Mycroft instead maneuvered their arms so she was holding Anthea's hand, their fingers laced together. She returned the smile just as warmly as they made their way along the cobbled streets, the setting early autumn sun tinting everything with a rosy, golden glow. 

They got their gelato to go, and Mycroft led Anthea down a side street so they could stroll along one of the canals as twilight descended. 

Were Anthea with anyone else, she might think that this entire night was far too romantically perfect. With Mycroft, it was almost expected. Dinners were always exceptional, and the other woman knew just where to go to find views to take Anthea's breath away with a single glimpse of them.

When she finished her gelato, she found the nearest rubbish bin to drop it into before slowly curling her fingers in with Mycroft's once again. Now that the ice had been cracked, Anthea was going to do her best to fully break it between them.

A gondola ride would be far too twee, but damned if Mycroft wasn't considering flagging down the next open one that came by if only for the fact that it might make Anthea smile. Perhaps tomorrow. Tonight, she was content to walk, hand-in-hand in the moonlight. 

They came upon a bridge that would be convenient to cross for getting back to their hotel, and she stopped at the middle, slipping an arm loosely around Anthea's waist. "I hope you're enjoying Venice thus far?" she murmured in inquiry. 

Anthea's hands instinctively rested on Mycroft's arms, "Almost too much," her voice was pitched as softly as Mycroft's in response. Then, without preamble or much thought, Anthea leaned into the other woman to press their lips briefly together. She pulled back to gage Mycroft's reaction, sure that this was where they were headed since Mycroft had plucked her out of Morgan's office but there was a part of Anthea that held onto the reservation that she had read the other woman all wrong.

Unable to stop the ridiculous sound of delight that escaped from her mouth as Anthea pulled back, Mycroft pulled her in closer and bent her head slightly to return the kiss. She couldn't have orchestrated a better evening, and that was the honest truth. 

Somehow Anthea was certain that her stomach had done a somersault in her abdomen, and her heart had learned how to leap over the moon from within her chest. At least, she was sure that was the reaction her insides had when Mycroft made that little noise and pulled Anthea in for another kiss, which she heartily returned with a soft sigh and pressed her body against the slightly taller woman for more contact.

It was no worse and perhaps better for the waiting, the slow-simmering anticipation over the past couple of months only making the moment sweeter. Her stomach swooped as Anthea pressed against her, and her hand tightened on Anthea's hip, completely engrossed in the moment. Mycroft forced herself to taste and tease gently when she wanted to devour, assuring herself there would be plenty of time for that later, away from the curious glances of anyone who could walk by or peek from their windows. 

The burn that kissing Mycroft incited within Anthea was almost all-consuming, but she pulled away from the other woman in consideration of their location. "Right," she couldn't stop the smile on her lips, or the flush as she studied the woman before her, "That was lovely," the words fell out of her like a confession, and Anthea wanted nothing more than to take Mycroft somewhere private where she could kiss the woman senseless without any fear of an audience.

Mycroft nodded, her own cheeks a bit pink. She stepped back just a bit, holding Anthea's hands in hers. "It was. I hope you're amenable to perhaps continuing the exploration of that particular dynamic back at our hotel?" She was flustered. God, what was it about Anthea that turned her from the Ice Queen into this warm, sensual creature? She had no hope of ever explaining it. 

Anthea's eyes were bright with excitement as she listened to Mycroft stumble through her proposition, "Are you sure? I mean that this was good, but I don't want to go to fast when we're starting to explore this particular dynamic," she was just as flustered as Mycroft, heart racing wildly in her chest at the sight of the other woman who she knew to be a shrewd government worker to be so malleable in her hands.

Mycroft shook her head with a smile. "Things needn't go any further than kisses. I agree that continuing on the patient path is advisable. But I would very much like to kiss you again. And possibly again after that," she murmured. 

"To the hotel, then?" Anthea squeezed the other woman's hands indicating that they should get there sooner rather than later, especially if she was going to be such a smooth talker, "I think I rather like your proposed plan of action."

"To the hotel," Mycroft agreed, releasing one of Anthea's hands so they could more easily walk. Now that she had a purpose in mind, it was less of a stroll and more of a determined stride. "I'm pleased to hear you find my plan of action feasible. Clearly, we're on the same page." 

Anthea let it a soft laugh at Mycroft's increased pace, keeping up with her all the way to the hotel, "I rather suspect we had similar end goals for this evening without truly realizing we shared them."

Mycroft nodded as they stepped into the lift to go up to their floor. "I'm sure of it," she replied, taking advantage of the otherwise empty lift to steal a brief kiss. "I think we've both been very, very patient."

Anthea leaned in to steal another brief kiss, unwilling to let the chance pass her by, "I wasn't sure we were going to be patient enough when I first started working with you," she murmured, their hands still entwined but Anthea shifted close enough to press her side into Mycroft's, "Do you remember the first time we went to Tokyo?"

"I do. I remember how lovely you looked in the lighting of that particular lift and how quickly you scrambled for your key when we reached our floor," Mycroft replied. "That night was the first I allowed myself to admit that perhaps I was smitten with you." 

When the particular lift they were in stopped on their floor, Anthea stepped out, "I was smitten with the idea of you the first time you stopped by my desk offering me a new job whilst I still worked for Morgan," she started leading her down the hallway, "I fully admitted to myself that I was very much smitten with _you_ when we spent half the night at yours talking about books."

She followed Anthea down the corridor, laughing softly at her confession. "Have you any idea how difficult it was for me to stay in my own damned chair that evening, with you sitting across from me, looking tragically beautiful as we talked about books? I knew this would be worth waiting for, but it was so very difficult to do so."

"Tragically beautiful? We'll come back to that comment in a moment. Are we going to mine or yours?" She slowed her pace as they reached the first door, unsure where Mycroft would be most comfortable, "Mine is closer, although yours might have a nicer sitting room than mine."

"I do have a very nice chaise overlooking the canals," Mycroft suggested, indicating they should walk a bit further down the hall. "And yes, tragically beautiful. Not in a consumptive 1800's heroine sense, of course, but tearful while still impeccably dressed and done up."

"I was done crying by the time I'd gotten to your home, and had cleaned up my makeup well enough by then," she defended herself as they continued on to the promised chaise overlooking the canal, "Besides, you didn't have to stare longingly over at the visage that was Mycroft Holmes in relaxed sleepwear."

"Ah, but you were red-eyed," Mycroft countered. "The visage? I was in my jimjams, no makeup, and I'd done nothing with my hair, so it was a wild curly riot. I suppose I can see how that would be endearing. Possibly." She slid her keycard into the lock and pushed the door open to her suite, ushering Anthea inside.

Anthea allowed herself to be ushered inside, although as soon as the door was shut she slid herself into Mycroft's arms, "You are constantly endearing, Ms. Holmes," she was failing to repress a smile, tilting her head at the perfect angle to hopefully be kissed very soon by Mycroft.

"Flattery," she murmured, leaning down to kiss that sweet smile. They'd get to the chaise or the sofa eventually, but she was just fine with this for now because moving would mean losing contact with Anthea. Mycroft was inclined to be quite tactile at the moment, providing caresses as they kissed. 

She was quite content to hold Mycroft and kiss her back and lose herself a bit in her for a while. Time wasn't really kept for a bit, but somehow they made their way to the chaise and there weren't any lines too far crossed with hands, but there was plenty of kissing and more kissing to be done. Which was done quite readily and well.

Mycroft could have spent a good deal longer devoted to such a thorough and enticing smooch session, but eventually she pulled back to peek at the time. "It's late. We should think about going to bed soon," she murmured, nuzzling into Anthea's neck. "Do you want to stay, or will that be too much of a temptation?" 

Anthea hummed at the nuzzling, her head a little light as she tried to think through what Mycroft said, "I will go," she decided, "There will be time for that later, even just sleeping, and we won't be able to rely on as close physical proximity when we're in London," somehow that logic made sense in her head.

"Mmm, probably wise," Mycroft agreed, although she seemed to be in no real hurry to disentangle herself from Anthea's embrace, letting things linger on through a few more lazy kisses.   
"I should go," Anthea murmured between kisses, attempting to pull away slightly, "We have a busy schedule tomorrow that I need to prepare for," she sighed lightly, the quick mention of the next day already sending Anthea into a more work oriented frame of mind.

Mycroft released her and sat up, looking rather dishevelled and rakish with her collar askew and hair mussed. "Ah, yes. The actual reason we're here instead of the more enjoyable one."

"Instead of? Both can be fun," she primly informed Mycroft as she stood, straightening her skirt and blouse, turning back to the very well dishevelled woman on the chaise, "Although, this might have had its charms," she tried to take a mental picture, certain that this would be a memory to cherish for a long while.

"Hmm, I'm pleased to know you find me charming," she murmured, getting to her feet to walk Anthea to the door. "But yes, both can be fun. I'll see you at breakfast, my dear." 

"At breakfast," Anthea murmured the sentiment with a kiss before making an effort to finally find her own room and bed.

This had been one of those nights to remember, and remember she would. The next day's schedule had a busy look to it, and she doubted that they would have much of a moment of privacy to enjoy the other's company until late in the evening.

The time in Venice was both productive in regards to work and thrilling in regards to the early throes of romance, and Mycroft felt it passed all too swiftly. Too soon, it was back to the everyday routine, not enough sleep, and not half as much time to spend with Anthea as she'd like that didn't involve work. 

Anthea was in bliss. She and Mycroft had struck up a work life balance that was enough interaction for Anthea, and she still felt there was enough space for her to grow professionally as well as with her own personal life.

 

They had just over a fortnight of stolen kisses over tea breaks and a few dinners that ended with fumbling hands before the outside world rudely broke into that peace with a cream colored envelope delivered to Anthea's personal address.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just what was in that envelope? And how will it affect everything?

When Anthea went into the office the next day, she acted as normally as she could, but there were fewer moments where she would reach out to Mycroft, the contents of the envelope staying her hand and forefront on her mind.

When Anthea came into work that Tuesday, Mycroft could see there was something bothering her. She wasn't sure what, but it was something. She was acting differently. Skittish, almost. Perhaps it was just an off day. 

But then one off day turned into another. And another after that. Anthea was still exemplary on the job, no doubt about that, but she was keeping her distance. Second thoughts? That didn't seem right, but then again, it just reminded Mycroft of how little she actually knew the other woman. 

Mycroft ought to say something. Reassure Anthea that her job was safe, at least. It was disappointing, but Mycroft could cope with it. That's what the mantle of the Ice Queen came in handy for, after all. 

It broke Anthea little by little, knowing that Mycroft's reputation and job was safe this way, by being distant and ensuring that little tips didn't perhaps reach her desk as they should.

She worked tirelessly to find out who had sent her the envelope full of pictures and notes, ones that would undoubtedly cause issue with the two women in a... provocative position. Above all, she didn't want Mycroft to know, though. She was supposed to make Mycroft’s life easier as her PA, not cause undue harassment in the workplace.

If that meant a sad smile when Mycroft's back was turned, and not offering to go out for lunch together, then so be it. Anthea couldn't imagine being a burden to her.

Mycroft never did bring it up - but Anthea seemed to be staying put as far as work went. There was that, at least. She was the best assistant Mycroft had ever had, and she had to be grateful for the fact that Anthea was apparently as professional as they came. There was still something that wasn't right. As though the other woman was keeping something back - but Mycroft supposed that wasn't her business anymore, if it ever had been.

Mycroft, though? She was managing to hold it together at work just fine, but a week's reminder of how lovely it was to have a connection with another human being meant that what used to be peaceful evenings at home with a book or satisfying ones out at one cultural affair or another turned into sad fests of self-recrimination. She wasn't going to allow herself to forget this time that she was better off alone. If she wanted sex, it was easy enough to get without emotional entanglement and she would be better served by remembering that. 

There was something that crumpled in Anthea's chest the day she realized that Mycroft had withdrawn as much as she had. The office was without that bright energy that attraction brought, and there was a distinct lack of sweet things in Anthea's life (including coffee flavored gelato).

She had made no headway on the sender, and was getting more nervous as slow instructions trickled into her mail, nothing that was truly despicable whilst working for Mycroft, but a request to lose her efficient edge that likely made Anthea a spectacular PA. That instruction was something that wore down Anthea's spirit more than anything in the past few weeks since the only one week of unadulterated bliss post Venice.

 

It wasn't until a month and a half after Venice had occurred that her resolve broke with a new set of instructions along with the arrival of Alex on her doorstep.

Her mind was whirling with regrets and a small rock weighed her hand down once again as she went into the office the next morning, unsure if she could face Mycroft. Would she notice? Or would she care to comment if she did? It was not as though they had been as personal of late, even compared to the beginning of their working relationship.

The morning that Anthea arrived in the office, engagement ring back on her hand, everything became clear to Mycroft (or so she thought). Clearly whatever she had imagined (and didn't imagine seem like the correct word now?) lay between herself and Anthea was nothing but ephemera, her PA experimenting before settling down. 

God, that seemed mercenary. It didn't seem like something Anthea would do - just another reminder of many that she didn't know her at all. Perhaps it was time to rethink some of those security clearances. What if she'd been completely hoodwinked? She didn't want to believe that, and Anthea's references were all solid. No, it had to just be Mycroft getting her hopes up prematurely and inappropriately. Right? 

She did miss the easy camaraderie they had enjoyed the first couple of months, though. There were no more lunches, no more working at her home, barely a word between them except what needed to be said for work interactions. It was utterly depressing. And clearly all of it had really begun weighing on Anthea’s mind - she wasn’t as efficient as she had been, but nothing Mycroft would dismiss her over. 

Anthea was too nauseous to eat that whole first day she wore the ring into work, hardly able to eat a few bites when she went home to Alex who seemed happy enough. No questions asked, at least of her, but there was a gentle pressure to perhaps cut back on hours at work, spend more time building a relationship and home.

It took Anthea hours to sleep that night; the next day she didn't have to try to be slightly more unproductive as usual, it came naturally. It was by the end of the week, she had hardly been able to eat or sleep much, and the hours were well watched as she waited for Friday to be over Anthea finally knocked on Mycroft's door, needing permission to enter a space that had once been very comfortable.

Mycroft watched from a distance as the week wore on and Anthea seemed more and more distracted and exhausted. Something wasn't right, she knew it wasn't, but it felt as though her hands were tied. She'd even reviewed the security tapes from in front of Anthea's building, but found nothing amiss. 

When the knock came on the door that Friday, she didn't know what to expect - but she invited Anthea in all the same. Instead of perching on the corner of the desk as used to be her habit, she stayed ensconced behind it, needing the physical separation to match the emotional one. 

Maybe Anthea's hands were damp when she entered the office, nondescript cream envelopes clutched in her fingers, "I..." Her words died on her lips, the beautiful, imposing, untouchable ice queen sitting before her suddenly unrecognizable from the warm woman who had been reluctant to let her leave the chaise with a view in Venice.

Without another effort to communicate, Anthea handed over the envelopes, pacing away to give Mycroft space to discern the situation for herself.

Mycroft took the envelopes, a puzzled look on her face, and began rifling through the contents. Good lord, this was a heavy-handed attempt. To what purpose, she had no idea. She had been out for years, and kissing her assistant was nothing compared to what sort of things she had seen her male colleagues doing on surveillance. Why would Anthea keep this to herself, take on all the worry and the threats that were worth absolutely nothing? Had she taken them seriously? What an awful time she must have had of it the past few weeks.

"I don't understand," she said, looking up from the envelopes and their contents. "Why didn't you come to me immediately? These threats, they're completely baseless - everyone from Her Majesty on down knows I'm queer, and I suppose there could have initially been some sort of minor scandal in regards to the power imbalance, but not one after records and clearances were reviewed. Anthea, I'm so sorry you've been dealing with this on your own."

"Well, they've been brought to your attention now," she replied, almost stonily, "Is there any sort of action we should begin with, or should life continue on normally as it did before?" Anthea was almost offended that Mycroft had played it off so easily as though it was something dealt with everyday.

She hadn't been sleeping. Could hardly eat without feeling as though she needed to find the nearest loo in case it came back up. And this woman had taken it in her stride as though it was expected to receive threats like this. If Anthea wasn't so worn down, she would almost be angry.

"Yes. Yes, of course there are actions we can take. Any number of them. These are fairly serious threats, I don't blame you for your reaction. But there's nothing to them. They can contact my 'superiors' all they like - all it will get them is arrested for blackmail. The same with the news outlets - nobody cares about an unmarried minor government official involved with their PA, even if they are both women. Perhaps that may be the easiest way to draw them out, whomever they are," she suggested, as she began replacing the contents of the envelopes. 

"I apologize for how cool I've been of late. I had assumed you had experienced a great deal of regret over what happened in Venice and the week following. I thought it would be best to give you space. As you're engaged again, perhaps that was correct in any case. But I deeply regret the anguish you've been through." 

"You didn't get to one of the later notes, then, which Alex personally delivered," she wrapped her arms around herself, glaring at the envelopes, "I... The last thing I wanted to do was make you think I regretted what we began in Venice. There hasn't been a time as of late when I've been happier," she clenched her jaw, turning to pace across the office again in an effort to stifle the emotional tears that pricked at her eyes. She wouldn't cry, this was a ridiculous situation made more so by her unwillingness to communicate with the other woman.

"Perhaps this has been a cautionary tale why close relationships are not recommended for those who work together professionally. Clearly my attachment to you inspired an illogical response on my part," she frowned, turning back to Mycroft, completely unsure of herself in the aftermath of this whole situation.

Mycroft had been concerned before. Upset that Anthea had dealt with this on her own, certainly. But the moment she parsed that Alex had been responsible for this entire fiasco? There were no words for the sort of cold-burning fury that crawled up her spine. 

"Your... fiance? That Alex? They were responsible for this? Did they force you back into a relationship in exchange for keeping things quiet?" The part about Anthea's happiness over Venice was completely passed over in Mycroft's mind. She wanted someone's head on a platter, and that someone was Alex. 

"Happy to participate, at least - I don't think they had any idea exactly what was happening, only that they had me back," Anthea waved a hand, unable to meet her eye, "And it's ridiculous. Alex is wholly ridiculous and I can't wait to get this stupid ring off and get this all behind us," she looked at her left hand, realizing there was really no reason for it anymore now that Mycroft knew, and they were going to put an end to it all. She pulled it off, putting it down on Mycroft's desk near the envelopes.

"Wanting to protect the people you care about isn't illogical. You truly didn't know," Mycroft assured her, standing at last and coming around the desk. "I'm... well, I'm floored that you would go to such lengths at personal risk to protect me and my reputation," she said quietly, sincerely. "I'm humbled by your loyalty although I feel completely undeserving of it at the moment." 

Anthea stood her ground as Mycroft stepped closer, body language still defensive but she had no intention of pushing the other woman away. Life was much less enjoyable when she did that, "You would have done all you could to protect my reputation should the roles be reversed," Anthea responded thickly, unable to voice how utterly deserving Mycroft was.

"Yes, I would have. I protect my people and I'm damned good at it," she replied, "so I cannot possibly fault your instincts. We'll make this right, one way or another. For now, is there anything I can do for you? Make sure you've somewhere safe to stay? Make you a very strong and very sweet cup of tea? Anything at all." 

Anthea had to close her eyes to at least pretend to stem the flow of tears that was threatening, "It is after working hours. If the woman I had a lovely time in Venice with could hold me for a moment," her eyes were swimming when she opened them to look at Mycroft, aware that the only other time she had seen her in tears, or post-crying, she had thought her tragically beautiful.

Mycroft merely stepped forward and took Anthea into her arms, amazed that this fierce, strong, foolishly brave woman would still want anything to do with her after the last few weeks. 

"You do realize that I cannot possibly deny you anything if you cry. That's more power than any one person ought to have," she murmured, pressing a kiss to Anthea's temple. 

Anthea wrapped her arms around Mycroft, grasping at the back of her blouse and pressing her face into her shoulder, "Then don't look," she grumbled, melting into the other woman for comfort, which suddenly seemed like it had been weeks since Anthea had received solace of any sort.

"I am very sorry it took so long to come to you, I had no idea what to do," her voice was thick and barely audible as she made her confession to Mycroft.

"No matter. We're going to take care of it. I'm just glad you finally did bring it to my attention," Mycroft promised, stroking Anthea's back in a soothing rhythm. "My first instinct is to burn things to the ground and salt the earth after, but that isn't a very elegant solution and I rather think we're better than that." 

That made Anthea chuckle, pulling back to smile at the slightly taller woman, "Inelegant, but surely very satisfying," she deemed, almost unable to reconcile the idea that days ago Anthea was sure she was trapped in a perpetual loop of blackmail, "Is it so easy to fix? How quickly can we pin down whoever did this because I've been searching high and low for this person as discreetly as possible."

Mycroft returned the smile, although her brow was furrowed with serious thought. "Simple. We do exactly what the letters said not to. We notify Revenue, which is the office they'll be calling or contacting, We go out in public, be seen together, let them attempt their little games. I'll give a call over to MI6 to be sure I've the right idea of it, but I'm all but certain I do. You may need a security detail for the moment, as well." 

"As much as I loath to ask, but what about Alex?" She adjusted her arms so that one snuck up to allow her to stroke the back of Mycroft's neck. Anthea could live with the security detail, although she might put herself up in a hotel room for the night, "I'll book a hotel for the next few nights, but I might consider a new flat soon anyways. I think it's time for a new living arrangement."

She shivered slightly as Anthea's fingers grazed the back of her neck, a soft sigh escaping her lips. "Alex depends entirely upon you. If you think they were duped, I suppose leniency might be the proper thing," Mycroft replied. "But I am not at all inclined to be lenient with the chief perpetrator." 

"Then I will leave it up to your discretion," Anthea quite enjoyed the soft sigh Mycroft had let out. "Should we take any immediate actions right now? I need to draw myself up a security detail to escort me home and then somewhere safe, at the very least."

"As far as somewhere safe goes - and I shall understand if you would rather not - I do have one of the most secure residences in the greater London area. Otherwise, of course, there are any number of hotels where you would be both safe and comfortable," Mycroft suggested. "As far as immediate actions are concerned? Let me know where you'll be staying and I'll have coffee gelato sent over. After the last few weeks, I daresay you would want and deserve it."

Anthea considered her options momentarily, deciding quite quickly that Mycroft would not have offered her own residence if she didn't mean to follow through, "Have gelato sent to yours," she slid her hands down to rest on the other woman's waist, "I would like to get quickly back to where we were just before all this started. There has been a distinct lack of kissing for too long."

Mycroft had a hundred arguments for why that wasn't a good idea to just dive back in. A thousand, even. But Anthea's hands on her waist and the thought of cold, coffee-flavoured kisses sent them right out of her head. She wanted to make up for the six weeks of lost time and she wanted to do so immediately. She nodded, bringing her hands up to cradle Anthea's face, gently stroking her thumbs along her cheekbones. "I missed you. Oh, how I missed you," she murmured, leaning down for a brief kiss. 

"It was all so stupid, utterly stupid, and I'm sorry," she leaned into Mycroft's touch, squeezing her hips, "so sorry," her voice was barely audible as she leaned in to kiss the other woman again. Everything had been so tumultuous, and a moment of vulnerability with Mycroft had fixed it all; if only she'd known that weeks earlier, none of this would have happened.

Anthea's whispered apology just meant Mycroft had to spend another few minutes entangled with her, trading kisses that felt like reassurance and forgiveness. "Go arrange for the security detail. I'll take care of dinner."

She went to do as Mycroft suggested, figuring the sooner they arranged everything, the sooner they would end up in Mycroft's home, hopefully in a mess of limbs on her sofa in front of the fire.

By the time Anthea had things arranged, so did Mycroft. Dinner would be delivered in an hour and a half, leaving plenty of time for Anthea to retrieve anything she needed from her flat.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mycroft and Anthea get a lot bit closer... and we earn our M rating.

The drive to Anthea's flat was peaceful, both women sitting marginally closer than they had been just hours before. She retrieved what she needed from her flat swiftly; packing on the go had been a skill Anthea picked up while working with Mycroft.

Thankfully, Alex seemed to be out, and Mycroft merely waited right inside the door for Anthea to get her things. Yes, she would certainly feel better about Anthea moving to a flat in a building with better security; a doorman, at the very least, and said as much when they were back in the car heading to her home. 

Anthea agreed, deciding that she would enquire with an estate agent soon to begin that process. Too many people from her 'old' life knew where to find her, and Anthea was finding that quite a liability as of late. So, a new flat with more security would be her first move to disentangling herself from what had formerly been her life.

"I'm sure you remember where everything is," Mycroft said, as they entered the house. "Dinner will be here soon, if you want to take your things upstairs and settle in a bit." 

"I'll be back down in a moment," Anthea answered, mounting the steps. She settled herself into the guest bedroom, figuring it would be safer to assume the slight bit of distance rather than jumping straight into Mycroft's personal space.

She headed into the kitchen next, looking to make herself a cup of tea before dinner arrived.

Mycroft already had the kettle on and it was just starting to boil as Anthea came into the kitchen. There were already mugs sitting out and the tea cupboard was open, Mycroft standing in front of it, looking thoughtful. She turned and smiled at Anthea over her shoulder, indicating the cupboard. "Wasn't quite sure what you might like this time of day," she said, by way of explanation. She would like to know things like that. If they'd been working, she would have gone for the darjeeling, but perhaps caffeine wasn't in the order of things this evening. 

"Something herbal, not too caffeinated," she answered, coming to lean on the island and watching Mycroft prepare them each a cup of tea, "What do you usually take this time of day?" Anthea was used to preparing them each a cup of something that would give them energy boosts, rather than calming after the end of a long day and a rather arduous few weeks.

Mycroft glanced over at her, a cheeky smirk on her lips. "Wine," she said slyly, popping a bag of a citrus-peach white tea into each mug. "I usually have a glass while I'm making dinner, if I'm home to do so."

"I like wine, though I usually forget that it is a drink option when I'm making supper," Anthea commented. They were having a conversation, small talk, even. It was almost too normal after the past few weeks.

"Should open a red to breathe for dinner," Mycroft mused, pouring water into their mugs and then going into the pantry and returning with a decent bottle, nothing too fancy, just something good. "Are you holding up all right? You've had a hell of an afternoon. Hell of a last few weeks, too."

"I'm sure it will all catch up soon, but for now I am doing okay," she was incredibly calmed by watching Mycroft putter about the kitchen while doing domestic tasks. The mug of tea was accepted gratefully when it was ready, "Tea, the backbone of every decent Brit," she murmured bemusedly.

"The panacea to cure all ills," Mycroft agreed, handing one of the mugs to Anthea. "Dinner is beef wellington with all the trimmings - and the famous gelato, as promised." This was lovely, having Anthea in the kitchen with her to chat to as they waited for dinner to be delivered. There were still kinks to be ironed out, but she had missed the other woman's companionship and was delighted to have it back. 

Anthea took a deep drink of the tea, enjoying the light flavor Mycroft had chosen, "I'm looking forward to that gelato most, I think," she hummed.

Mycroft laughed softly, leaning in to press a soft kiss to Anthea's cheek. "That's why I had them send a quart, rather than a pint," she murmured. "Dessert in front of the fire in the study, I think."

"We'll share the settee this time," Anthea asserted brightly, remembering the study quite well from the night of her sister's wedding. The doorbell rang a moment later, which Anthea was sure hearkened the arrival of dinner, but it didn't stop her shoulders from drawing up with tension over possible trouble.

"We will, will we?" Mycroft asked, teasingly. It was indeed their dinner at the door, and Mycroft made a show of locking up and enabling the perimeter alarms. "There, now we can have a nice, relaxing evening," she decided, unpacking the various dishes that had been sent over, and tucking the gelato into the freezer for the moment. 

Anthea made herself useful to help Mycroft prepare dinner, knowing that the physical movement would help calm the slight nervousness she had just had. They struck up light conversation once again, smiling and laughing over dinner and a good bottle of wine.

Mycroft was happy to have Anthea back in her home. The woman lent a warmth to the place that she had been sorely missing over the last couple of months. She truly had missed her presence. Their flirtatious banter over dinner helped to smooth away some of the tension of the day, yet Mycroft was looking forward to the simple pleasure of a fireside cuddle, fancy dinner be damned.

"I don't mind washing up if you show me where everything goes," Anthea offered when they were finished. It was the least she could do after the other woman had accepted her faults and into her home without a second thought.

"Everything can go in the dishwasher but the stemware," Mycroft replied, swirling the last bit of wine in her glass. "I'll pack up the leftovers, then, if that suits you." She had caught some of the looks Anthea had given her during dinner, and the evening was shaping up to be very promising indeed.

"Suits me just fine," she raised an eyebrow, finishing her own glass of wine before beginning to clear their dishes. Stemware went to the side until she'd loaded the dishwasher, then with the swift efficiency with which she conducted the rest of her life, Anthea hand washed the glasses and set them down to dry.

Mycroft closed the fridge door and smiled over at Anthea. "Dessert now, or later?" 

"Depends on which dessert you're talking about," she shot back with a cheeky grin. If Anthea remembered correctly, Mycroft's lips were as good a dessert as any.

"Either. Both," Mycroft murmured, stepping close. "Although the gelato might be refreshing later," she purred, sliding an arm around Anthea's waist. 

"I am fine with that," Anthea pressed close to Mycroft, wrapping an arm around her neck and the other sliding up her back. She was sure Mycroft could probably hear her   
heart thumping in her chest as she kissed her, slowly reacquainting herself with the other woman's lips.

If Anthea was fine with it, then so was Mycroft, because she didn't want to wait much longer to spend a good long while reacquainting herself with the other woman's kisses and caresses. Although, perhaps not in the kitchen. After a moment, she disentangled herself and led Anthea to the study, tugging her toward the settee. 

Anthea let herself be led to the study, falling into Mycroft once on her settee to very thoroughly kiss her, and then kiss her some more. A tight tension began winding itself in her abdomen, one that promised to be much more pleasurable than any she had experienced within the past few weeks.

Reminding herself that they had all night - all weekend, even - Mycroft just let herself relax and the situation unwind as it would. She responded to Anthea's kisses, hands wandering along the curves of her body over her clothing. 

Anthea's hands were light as they skimmed their way along Mycroft's body, up across her neck and into her hair. She ended up halfway into the other woman's lap, her almost-neediness for physical contact coming out of the little box she had hidden it away in the past few weeks. Mycroft sat almost normally on the settee, and Anthea had settled on it almost backwards so she could drape herself easily onto the other woman.

Mycroft blindly tugged out the pins holding Anthea's hair up as she kissed her, running the fingers of one hand through the waves, her other hand at her waist, tugging the back of Anthea's shirt from the skirt she wore. She had been, she felt, quite patient - and she wanted to feel soft skin under her fingertips. 

Anthea wasn't nearly so graceful as Mycroft was, ignoring pins that held hair in favor of tangling her fingers in Mycroft's hair and forgetting her mind momentarily as a hand began caressing up her back. She made a noise of contentment into Mycroft's mouth at that move, perfectly fine with going further should Mycroft indicate.

Nibbling at Anthea's lower lip for a moment as she heard that contented sound, Mycroft then trailed kisses down her jaw and neck as she brought her hands to the front of Anthea's shirt and started to slowly unbutton the garment. 

Mycroft had always been a smart woman, Anthea knew this. Perhaps even smarter with the foresight to begin to divest Anthea of her blouse. She helped with the buttons, starting from the bottom to meet Mycroft in the middle. A flush had started to creep its way from Anthea's cheeks down her neck towards her chest, her skin warm where the other woman's lips had landed already.

Anthea's help was much appreciated, and Mycroft murmured as much into her ear as she pushed the shirt down her arms and off. The sight before her was utterly enticing. "I see you took my advice about quality foundation garments," she said, delighted amusement suffusing her tone as she traced her finger along the decorative lace. 

"I shall have to have you inspect my wardrobe for them, ensure they're all up to standard?" There was a light fluttering in her abdomen at Mycroft's touch, her breathing perhaps a little too heavy. Anthea pressed a kiss into Mycroft's neck, her fingers following the same pattern on the woman under her as they had a few minutes ago on her own blouse.

Mycroft started to laugh, but it trailed off into a moan at the kiss to her neck. She helped Anthea with her blouse as well, eager to have it off and be a little closer to skin-to-skin with her. 

Little noises littered the air as she explored Mycroft and the other woman explored her, caresses and kisses freely exchanged. Anthea kissed her way down Mycroft's chest, mouthing her way over the fabric of her bra to tease her before surging up to kiss her lips again.

As comfortable as the settee was, it was a little small for what Mycroft wanted. She gently tugged at Anthea's lower lip with her teeth before letting go. "Would you like to go upstairs?" she asked, a hopeful note in her voice. 

"Yes," Anthea breathed, so unsure this was the right time to do this, but very certain that she was meant to be here, with Mycroft. What did it matter if they waited another few weeks to go to bed, or made love tonight? And it would be making love, there was no way to mistake what was going on between them for anything else.

"Oh, thank god," Mycroft sighed, nuzzling into Anthea's neck for a moment before nudging her up off of her lap. "Come on, lovely. I've been dreaming of having enough room and time to take you apart," she purred. 

Anthea's heart raced at the thought, grinning as she followed the other woman up towards her bedroom. She might have helped them to get distracted on their way up the stairs, unable to keep her hands off the other woman.

Happy to be distracted, Mycroft was just fine with a slow, winding path to her bedroom, pressing Anthea against the wall on the landing halfway up the staircase to kiss her breathless. Eventually, she managed to lead her into the bedroom, past the little sitting room where they'd had tea that one evening. 

Finally in Mycroft's room, Anthea had no qualms with very quickly making herself comfortable on the other woman's bed, smiling winningly at her, "It's very comfortable, I don't know how you ever leave it," she propped herself up on her elbows, legs extended alluringly in front of her.

"Now that you've put yourself in it, it will very hard to get out of, indeed," Mycroft replied, settling herself beside Anthea, a teasing grin on her face as she turned onto her side and leaned in to trail kisses along her neck and collarbone. 

"I don't think I will for a while," she stretched languidly, laying back fully and pulled Mycroft closer. Anthea was very intent to be fully ensconced in Mycroft's embrace, letting the other woman lead this. It had been a long time since she'd had sex, and even then it had been with a specific person so she needed to learn what Mycroft would like from a lover.

"Mmmm, I'm delighted to hear it," she murmured, draping herself over Anthea and sliding her knee between the other woman's legs. She'd dreamed of this moment for months now, and it was hard to decide just how she'd like to start. "Tell me what you like, sweeting," she said, sliding her hand across the bare skin of Anthea's torso. 

"I want your hands on me, everywhere," she took the hand on her torso and slid it up to cup her breast, "Here would be a good start," she said breathlessly, arousal already starting to create a happy floating sensation in her head. Anthea reciprocated the action, looking for her nipple to flick with her thumb.

Mycroft was happy to comply with Anthea's request, fondling her breasts. She varied the pressure of her touches as she kissed a path from her collarbone to a nipple, pulling it into her mouth as she glanced upward to Anthea's face, watching her expression to figure out what she liked best. 

Throwing caution (and any reserved tendencies she had) to the wind, Anthea tried to be reactive as possible to Mycroft, figuring their sex life would be easier if she was vocal about what she liked from day one. She arched into her touch and told her just how hard she liked to have her nipples to be played with, working her hands on Mycroft's bra to unhook it and shimmy it off her.

While Mycroft had no qualms about exploring to see what sort of touches sent Anthea's blood racing, she found it incredibly alluring that the other woman came right out with what she wanted and how she wanted it. She managed to get the bra down her arms and flung it god-knows where with a breathless laugh, then turned her attention right back to pleasuring. 

Anthea enjoyed the physical touch of other people, and the unguardedness of her skin pressing into Mycroft's was enough to sate her emotionally as well as physically. She reached around and traced patterns in Mycroft's skin as she kissed and explored around Anthea's torso, closing her eyes to concentrate her attention on the feel of the other woman against her.

Mycroft managed to unzip Anthea's skirt as she continued in her mission of kissing every bit of her skin. The sheer want coalescing in her belly was powerful, challenged only by her utter relief that Anthea wasn't going anywhere, that allowing herself to let her guard down and her emotions come into play hadn't been a mistake after all. 

With a well practiced little shimmy, Anthea got the skirt down her legs and on the floor. She took charge of one of Mycroft's hands, pulling it down towards her pants. They would be ending up there, she desperately hoped, and being forward about her willingness to get there was important. Anthea knew she wanted to come undone by Mycroft tonight, and was showing her as she best knew how in a silent way.

Slipping her fingers beneath the waistband of Anthea's knickers, Mycroft leaned back up to kiss her, every little flick of her tongue and slide of her mouth meant to inflame. She rubbed herself unashamedly along Anthea's thigh, tugging her pants down. 

Anthea ground herself into Mycroft's hand, grappling the other woman's arse to gain leverage so the she could rub her thigh easily against her clit. This was good, and so much better than most first times were. She supposed if you spent months undressing and caressing someone with your eyes, it got easier somehow.

Mycroft managed to struggle out of her trousers and knickers, god only knew where they landed. She gasped, delighted, at Anthea's hands on her arse as she slid an exploratory finger into her, then another, angling them just so to rub her g-spot. Kisses became more akin to ragged breathing and moaning against each other's mouths, foreheads pressed together. 

Anthea sighed loudly, crying out softly as she came undone in Mycroft's hands so swiftly. It has been a surprise that she came so quickly, letting out a gentle laugh, "Well, now that I've come, your turn? Tell me you like to be touched?"

Mycroft withdrew her fingers and sucked them clean, humming, pleased at the taste. "Firmly, please. You can be rough with my breasts, but I like a light, fast touch on my clit," she murmured. 

"As you wish," Anthea pushed Mycroft to lay on her back to give her more maneuvering space. She slid down to kiss, nip, and suck on her breasts, and hand goon to lazily slid between Mycroft's legs and through the warmth she found there. Anthea hummed at the contact, just as enthusiastic to touch as she had been to be touched.

Laying back on the pillows, Mycroft looked up at Anthea from beneath her eyelashes. She slid her hands into Anthea's hair, arching up into her touch with a sharp intake of breath. Oh, she was in good hands indeed. 

She dipped the rest of her body down, positioning herself to eat Mycroft out until she tugged at her to stop. It had been too long since Anthea did this, and she was all too happy to perform this act on Mycroft.

Thanks to the build up, the flirting, the coy glances, the kisses, caresses, the anticipation and the heady relief that all of this was going to work out, Mycroft knew she was going to come much faster than she wanted to. Anthea seemed to know exactly how and where to move her lips and tongue for maximum effect and it was mere moments before she was calling her lover's name in bliss. 

She moved back up Mycroft's body to collapse beside her, absolutely spent but determined to kiss her senseless still. Anthea carded her fingers through the other woman's hair, still craving the close physical contact as she pressed herself close to her.

She tucked her arms around Anthea and sank into the heady kisses, loving how she snuggled close, enjoying the afterglow. 

Anthea remembered that there was delicious gelato to eat still, but she wanted a few minutes to bask in post coital bliss before either women moved. "That was fun, and very good. We need to do it several more times before the weekend is over," her voice is soft as she speaks, a small grin tugging at her lips.

Laughing softly, Mycroft nuzzled under her ear. "Mmm, I concur. There are three more beds, three showers, two bathtubs, and a vast assortment of sofas and chairs, should you wish to branch out," she suggested.

Anthea laughed out loud, "What about all the various counters, tables, and desks? Wouldn't want then to feel left out," she teased, far too happy with the idea of having Mycroft all over her house, or the other woman having her way with her.

"I was saving those for next weekend," Mycroft said, all wide-eyed innocence, although the idea of laying Anthea out on the dining room table like a feast, well, that was far too appealing. 

"We'll divide and conquer," Anthea agreed, kissing her with tenderness, "And we'll have to break in whatever new flat I find for myself in the next few weeks."

"Not to mention the office," Mycroft added, a decidedly naughty glint in her eye. "We ought to go back to Venice sometime soon. I want to have you on that bloody chaise as I've been fantasising about it for months." 

"Sounds like we have quite a few places to break in. I can't wait," she looked just as mischievous, and very excited to live out their fantasies together.

"On that note, stay there and I'll go get dessert," Mycroft murmured, stealing a few kisses before she disentangled herself and nipped downstairs with nary a stitch on to collect the gelato and two spoons.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who's been following this fic - I'm sorry for the delay in the final chapter, it needed a few more tweaks than the others did. 
> 
> If you'd like to yell at us about your headcanons on Tumblr, we are @foxy-voxy and @mycthelittlehobbit


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